A Change of Mind
by Hollysgirl
Summary: Queenie believed in what Grindelwald was offering – but not in what he asked her to do to build his vision. When she witnesses a confrontation between Grindelwald, Newt and Tina, Queenie finds herself questioning her choices and forced to show her true power as a legilimens. Set in a slightly AU post-CoG where everyone is still in Paris. Lots of Newtina fluff.
1. Chapter 1: Coming Home

A/N Hi everyone :) This is my way of resolving an aspect of Crimes of Grindelwald that bothered me. It contains a bit of violence but nothing graphic; mostly just fluff and an opportunity to hint at the massive potential that I suspect Queenie has (which has, imo, been overlooked). Also, a dash of Newtina, because feels :)

 **Coming home**

Queenie felt it before consciously recognising it. The cool, fresh sea breeze of her older sister's mind. Tina was nearby! Excitement raced through her, followed by apprehension. She hadn't seen Tina since she'd chosen to follow Grindelwald through the flames...how would her sister react to seeing her?

A week had passed since the meeting at Pere Lechaise. Stuck in hiding in the house in Paris while Grindelwald made plans for his growing group of followers to depart France, Queenie had found herself struggling with her decision. There in that moment in the tomb, it had seemed so right. So natural. He wanted what she wanted, but why didn't the others see that? Queenie had been so sure that she agreed with what Grindelwald was planning that she hadn't paused to think about how he might go about getting it – or what he might ask of her.

As it was, Grindelwald expected her to take an active role. It was not that he'd turned nasty, exactly, but she could tell that his patience with her reluctance to to use her legilimency to retrieve information by force was waning. It'd started small; find out an address from a passing no-maj's mind; read Credence to figure out how Grindelwald could gain his trust; check that folks who joined them meant it. But he'd quickly begun asking for more and this afternoon, she'd found herself with silent tears running down her cheeks as she smashed through the mental defences of one of the aurors who'd crossed through the flames hoping to infiltrate their growing organisation and eventually capture Grindelwald. It'd not been enough for Queenie to retrieve that information. No, Grindelwald had made her dig up the man's most painful memories; horrible scenes from a turbulent childhood and time on the front lines during the War. He'd begged her to stop, but Grindelwald had reminded her that this was the only way to be with Jacob and so, she'd done as she was asked. But once it was all over and she returned to her room, she found herself remembering what Jacob had told her about his own time in the War. The thought of doing that to him, of forcing him to relive that horror was unthinkable. He hadn't wanted to marry her because he didn't want her to go to prison; he'd never want her to do things like this for him.

Her doubt had been furthered by conversations about the house. While Grindelwald claimed to not hate the No-Majs, many of his followers certainly felt otherwise. They envisioned a world built on the backs of the magic-less, a world where they were treated like slaves. Queenie didn't believe that that was Grindelwald's vision, but he had also not stopped their chatter. If these people got the world they wanted, then what would that mean for Jacob?

When they'd returned here from the Lestrange tomb, Grindelwald had embraced her and offered her an opportunity to access his mind. His occlumency was excellent, his mind a wall of cold rock, but he'd said he wanted her to trust him and to see his vision for the future. What he'd offered had convinced her that what she was doing was right and when she withdrew from his mind, she was surprised to find that it was no longer completely closed off to her, as if there was a hairline crack in the wall of obsidian that used to be solid. The result was that over the past week, Queenie had received small glimpses and impressions of what was going on in the dark wizard's mind. It wasn't clear whether he was aware of her new sense of him, but Queenie could tell when he became furious at finding something missing the evening after the Lestrange tomb and when he was particularly excited at Credence's first attempts to use magic with control.

This evening, there'd been talk about the aurors planning another raid, this time on a loyal family who were helping Grindelwald's group to leave France. Grindelwald himself had taken Rosier and left the house to go to their aid. They'd passed Queenie on the staircase on their way down and she'd caught a stray thought of Newt surrounded by roiling anger and anticipation in his mind. Fear had gripped her heart. Newt may not have joined their cause, but he had a pure heart and was a dear friend. Even if he had broken Tina's heart by getting engaged to Leta Lestrange, Queenie couldn't let Grindelwald hurt him. She told herself that her boss didn't intend to harm him, but the seed of doubt planted by the past week niggled her until she couldn't help but trail them out onto the street. Besides, Queenie told herself, perhaps Newt would join them. Grindelwald had much more liberal ideas about magical creatures. And maybe Newt could help bring Tina around. Yes, she thought, she was just going to follow to make sure that Newt understood Grindelwald's message and that he wasn't harmed.

And so, here she was, creeping through the Tuileries Garden in the dark, doing her best to figure out which way Grindelwald and Rosier had gone while remaining hidden. She didn't want them to think she didn't trust them. The familiar brush of Tina's mind flushed her with warmth. After a moment's pause, she could sense the woody earthiness of Newt's consciousness nearby and her excitement grew. Until she felt panic rise in him.

" _Expelliarmus_!"

"No! Don't!"

Queenie heard Newt's above a plea over a nearby row of hedges and she gasped out loud and stumbled, gripping a nearby bench for support. Pain. Tina was suffering, excruciating pain racing through her as every muscle in her body contracted at the same time. Tina couldn't breathe. She couldn't open her eyes to look for Newt. A thousand knives were flaying her skin as her blood boiled in her veins. Where was Newt?! Why did it hurt so much? How much of this could she take? She had to keep it in. She had to breathe - only she couldn't. She couldn't handle it. Couldn't think. She wanted it to end. She wanted to black out, to die. Anything was better than this never-ending agony.

Then the screaming started, shattering the peaceful air of the gardens at night. Queenie had never heard her sister's voice so broken. She pushed herself to her feet and was running towards the hedge in a heartbeat. Nausea rose in her as Tina's thoughts begged for death in her head, but she didn't stop. As she reached the hedge, she could sense the obsidian of Grindelwald's mind on the other side with Newt and Tina. Rosier was there too, her mind the sickly sweet scent of roses just as they begin to rot. Newt's thoughts were bounding between panic and fear while he desperately tried to figure out what to do. Queenie skidded to a stop in horror. The crack in Grindelwald's mind was singing with satisfaction. With delight and vindication. He was enjoying this. Revulsion rose in Queenie like a tsunami.

"Stop!"

Tina stopped screaming and she heard Newt cry, "Stop! Please! Don't hurt her!"

"Where is it, Mr Scamander?" Grindelwald's voice was firm. "I know that Dumbledore is after it and I know that you are involved. Where is it?"

"I don't know what you mean," Newt said.

Queenie peered out from behind the hedge and found Grindelwald 20 meters ahead to the left. Tina was on the ground a few feet in front of him, clearly conscious, but struggling to push herself up onto her forearms. Grindelwald's wand was still pointed at her. A few feet in front of her stood Newt and Rosier, her wand at his neck and both his and Tina's wands clutched in her other hand.

"You are trying my patience Scamander. You could have risen to greatness with me."

"I don't step on others," Newt said defiantly.

Grindelwald scoffed and turned his gaze to Tina, who was leaning heavily on her hands now. "And you, Miss Goldstein. Still appearing where you are not wanted. Though, I will admit that I was wrong about you. You are a formidable witch. I should not have underestimated your determination, but then you were such a nuisance, trying to comfort Credence. Do you have any idea what damage you would have done to my work with him if you'd succeeded in your quest to rescue him from his mother? It was most fortunate for me that you do not possess the control you think you do. You saved us both a lot of bother by attacking that woman." He cocked his head to the side, considering her shaking form and defiant glare. "Dear Queenie thinks the world of you, Tina. Perhaps I ought to reconsider your prospects. Perhaps you'd like to join us and be reunited with your sister?"

"Never!" Tina spat out. Her voice was hoarse, but venomous. "Queenie doesn't know what you're doing or else she'd never have stepped through those flames."

He chuckled, "Aah, but our dear Queenie is in love, you see. And love makes us blind." At that, Queenie felt a stab of regret from Grindelwald. "Besides," he continued, "If she wants the non-magique, she can have him. In my world, he'll be hers to do with as she pleases."

Disgust rose in Queenie. The repellent horror of betrayal that'd roller over her from Jacob when he discovered her enchantment of him was still fresh in her mind. She'd been so ashamed in that moment and never wanted him to look at her that way again. To have total control over him – no. That was not the future Queenie's heart desired.

"Queenie would never want that! Where are you keeping her?" Tina demanded.

"Oh she's not a prisoner. Queenie chooses to remain with me because she believes in our future. She suggested that you might come to understand that, but I can see you are a lost cause."

He turned back to Newt. "Such a disappointment you both are. I thought I'd be rid of you by now, but Dumbledore's trust appears to be well-earned." He cocked his head to the side and looked between them. "Tell me: exactly how _did_ you survive execution at MACUSA?"

Ice ran through Queenie's veins. Grindelwald had been posing as Graves! It was him who'd sentenced Newt and Tina to death!

On the ground, Tina stayed silent, her eyes briefly glazing over. Queenie could see her memory of the silver fluid rising up around her. She felt a rush of tenderness as Tina recalled the leap of faith that had put her into Newt's waiting arms.

Tina's eyes went to Newt. Grindelwald followed the direction of her gaze and chuckled. "Why Newton, you are a resourceful fellow. Such a pity that you are unable to see the future as it should be." He paused, noticing how Newt and Tina's eyes remained on each other, words unspoken hanging in the air between them.

"Oh...I see it now." A smugness filled Grindelwald's voice as he looked between them. "Then perhaps, Mr Scamander, you'll consider changing your mind in exchange for Miss Goldstein's life?"

Newt's gaze snapped to Grindelwald, eyes filled with horror. "I..." he began.

"Newt, no!" Tina's voice rose an octave.

"Shhhh," cooed Grindelwald, shaking his head at her slowly. What followed was little more than a whisper, " _Crucio._ "

Tina's arms gave out and she hit the ground again, writhing and gasping for air. Her pain was a thousand electrified knives spearing Queenie's brain. Newt's mind roared with a vortex of panic, desperation and guilt, while delight rose in Grindelwald once more. When Tina let out a strangled scream a heartbeat later, Queenie's world shifted around her and her heart went cold. She had been betrayed. Mislead and manipulated. Toyed with and used, offered empty promises that she'd lapped up like a naive little girl. Growing up as one of the most beautiful girls in her year at Ilvermorny, and with a formidable older sister, jealous girls had teased her, saying that Tina had all the brains and she was all looks and no smarts. It had hurt her deeply and to feel now that they had been right, that she had allowed herself to be fooled by Grindelwald aroused that deep shame in Queenie once more. It mixed into the cauldron of pain and panic already flooding into her mind from Newt and Tina and she gasped. Something was rising within her, her blood racing with fear, shame, guilt – and the seething, voracious anger of betrayal.

Pain shot through her skull and Queenie gasped, gripping the sides of her head. She sunk to her knees and down onto her side, falling out of the cover of the hedge. Rosier's eyes snapped to her and widened with realisation – but it didn't matter.

With the next breath, Queenie's face scrunched in a silent scream… and she let the cauldron within her explode in the direction of the one responsible. The boiling lava of her mind hit the cold rock of his and a few metres away, Grindelwald let out a howl and fell to his knees, his teeth and hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white around his wand.

Caught off guard, Rosier couldn't stop Newt from snatching her wand clean out of her hand and turning it on her.

" _Petrificus totalis_!" He hollered.

Her body stiffened and she hit the ground. Newt seized his and Tina's wands and immediately looked to Grindelwald. He remained on his knees, eyes distant and teeth clenched, clearly lost within his own mind. The threat momentarily occupied, Newt scrambled to Tina, who was on her side, panting and shaking. He gently pulled her up to a sitting position and she hissed in pain.

"Tina," Newt said gently, "Tina, I'm so sorry!"

Her face was red, her cheeks wet – with tears or sweat, he didn't know – and her hands were shaking as they grasped at his upper arms.

"Newt?" her voice hitched with emotion. "I can't-"

Newt pressed her wand into her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know it hurts but please Tina, you have to focus," he insisted, "We have to get out of here."

Hearing him, Tina's eyes darted around to Grindelwald. "What's-" she started, but then her eyes fell behind Newt and she gasped, "Queenie!"

With a wince and a small wail of pain, Tina scrambled to her feet and over to her sister's side, with Newt two strides behind her. Queenie's eyes were shut in a deep frown, her breathing rapid and short and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Queenie!" Tina threw an arm around her sister.

"Is she...?" Newt's voice trailed off. Tina caught his gaze for a moment and then looked from Queenie to Grindelwald, perplexed. "I don't understand. Is she…?"

There was a beat of silence and Queenie's face relaxed. Her eyes snapped open a moment later.

Behind them, Grindelwald let out a heavy sigh. His eyes were open now, his pale face flushed and scowling.

"Well, well Queenie," he drawled, venom in his voice. "I underestimated you."

Queenie's eyes met Tina's, filled with unbridled panic. Behind her, Grindelwald raised his wand.

" _Confringo_!"

Newt's felt Tina grab his arm and his gut twisted as she disapparated them side along from the gardens. They reappeared besides one of the Place de la Concorde fountains a second later and Newt had just enough time to register their location before the world twisted again and he found them beneath the Arc du Triomphe. A heartbeat later, they were in a heap on the doorstep of the small house that had been their home for the past week.

Theseus burst from the door a moment later, their arrival no doubt having triggered the protective spells that he and Tina had placed on the house.

"Newt?! What happened?" He pulled the younger man to his feet and Newt immediately moved to Tina, who was breathing hard, slumped against the railing beside Queenie. The younger Goldstein was silent and confused as she took in their surroundings.

"Grindelwald was in the gardens," Newt explained. He bent down in front of Tina and saw panic in her eyes.

"Newt! Her hand!" Theseus said sharply. Trembling and gasping in pain, Tina slowly raised her left hand. It looked as if the top had been blown off, raw to the bone and weeping blood onto her coat.

"Merlin!" Newt yelped, "We have to get inside! There's dittany in my case!".

He pulled Tina up onto shaky feet as Theseus helped Queenie up and pulled her inside.

"I don't know if we'll be followed," Tina gasped as they stumbled into the foyer. "I couldn't apparate any more."

At the tremble in her voice, Theseus slammed the door shut and pulled his wand from his jacket to began reinforcing their protective charms.

"Jacob!" Newt called as he helped Tina to the sitting room, a protective arm around her waist. "Jacob! Where are you?"

Queenie followed, unsure and silent.

"Hey, what's happenin'?" Jacob's voice came from the kitchen and he emerged a moment later with a plate and dish towel in his hand. When he spotted them, he froze, "Queenie!"

The sight of him startled the younger Goldstein back to her senses, "Jacob! Oh Jacob! Teen's hurt! We need Newt's case!"

He dashed back into the kitchen as Newt and Queenie led Tina to a sofa. She winced in pain but stayed silent as she sat. Her injured hand was cradled in her good arm, dripping blood onto the sleeve of her coat. Queenie settled beside her a hand on her shoulder as Jacob returned with the case. He placed it on the floor at Newt's feet and threw it open for the magizoologist. Jacob turned back to the sisters and recoiled with a hiss at the sight of Tina's bleeding hand.

"Geez! What the?! Tina!" he yelped.

"Grindelwald's last curse must have caught her as she apparated," Newt explained. He pointed his wand into the case, " _Accio_ dittany!" A brown bottle zoomed into his hand and he spun to Tina. Kneeling down in front of her, he met her gaze. "Take a breath. This is going to hurt before it gets better."

Tina gave a small nod and turned her head into Queenie's shoulder as Newt tipped the bottle to pour a few drops of the essence onto her wound. It hissed as soon as it touched her hand and Tina sucked in a sharp breath of pain as the skin began to regrow.

"Sorry," Newt said, applying a few more drops. "Nearly there. You're very brave Tina."

Tina gave a scoffing laugh, half tears and half humour, and kept her forehead against Queenie.

"I'm a big girl; it goes with the job."

Slowly, and with a few more drops of dittany, her breathing settled as the rest of the wound closed and she turned her gaze back to find her hand covered in fresh, bright red skin. It was no longer smooth, now covered in ridges that she quietly hoped would not become scars, but it was also whole and no longer bleeding.

Her eyes found Newt's. "Thank you," she said softly. His eyes lingered and he reached a hand out to her cheek. Tina bit her bottom lip, holding his gaze and savouring the warmth of his rough hand on her face. She placed her good hand on top of his and gave it a small squeeze.

Beside her, Queenie heard her sister's thoughts racing. _Oh Teenie, you've got it so bad_.

Newt was the first to drop his hand and look away, blushing slightly as he scanned the rest of her for injuries. Satisfied, he cleared his throat then stepped back and went to replace the bottle in his case. Tina turned to her sister and gave her a weak smile.

"Queenie," she said, "You came back." Her mind was completely open and Queenie was flooded with her sister's relief at having her back, amidst regret at having lost her in the first place.

"Oh Teenie, I'm so sorry!" she cried, "What Grindelwald did to you! I didn't know he – I never, never ever woulda gone with him if -"

"I know, hun," Tina said softly. She gently pulled her sister to her with her good hand and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know."

Jacob crossed the room then and fell to his knees in front of the sofa, hands grasping Queenie's where they lay in her lap.

"Queenie! Baby! We've been so worried! Are you okay! Did he hurt you? How did you escape?" It all came out in a single breath as Jacob squeezed her hands.

"Jacob!" her face lit up and she threw her arms around his shoulders. "Oh Jacob! I shoulda listened to you." She pulled back from the hug and took his face between her hands, "I love you so much!".

 _I love you more_ , his mind sang to her. Her heart was flooded with love and there, between Tina and Joseph, Queenie knew she'd made the right decision.

Theseus entered the room, pocketing his wand just as Newt shut his case. Theseus went over to Tina and Queenie felt a wave of brotherly concern from him as he looked at her hand. As Aurors, He and Tina had been working side-by-side for the past week and had clearly bonded somewhat. When he looked to Queenie, however, his mouth tightened. His voice rose in her mind: he was wondering how they knew it was really her, whether they could trust a woman who'd chosen to leave the people she loved to walk through Grindelwald's flames – to join the man who had murdered Leta and so many others. Queenie felt the pain of his loss, raw and aching, and she cast a sad glance up at him.

"I'm so sorry that you lost her," she said softly.

Theseus's eyes widened with surprise and then rapidly narrowed in suspicion.

"How did you…?"

"Queenie is a legilimens," Newt explained softly.

"Then she could be a spy!" Theseus went for his wand, but Newt put a hand on his brother's shoulder and shook his head.

"No. No, I think...I think she saved us." His eyes rose to meet hers and he frowned. "Queenie, did you...did you enter Grindelwald's mind?"

Queenie cast her eyes down.

"I sorta lost control," she said softly. "I've worked real hard to learn not to do it, but Teen was hurting so bad and I knew that you didn't know what to do. And Grindelwald, he wasn't gonna stop. Even if you told him where it is. He was gonna kill Tina – and you too. I heard him talking about Jacob and Credence and how he put you in that death chamber and I… I realised that he tricked me and used me. So I wanted him to hurt too." Her eyes darted between them before she continued, "After the rally, he wanted me to trust him, so he let me into his mind to show me the future I wanted to see, but he never completely closed the door after." She gave a small shrug. "So when he cast that horrible curse on you Teenie, I pushed the door back open with what I was feeling and used it to find the memories that hurt him the most."

"That must have been quite something that you were feeling," said Newt with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. "He was gone from this world long enough for us to escape," he explained to Theseus and Jacob. Then his eyes returned to Queenie. "Thank you," he said. "It doesn't bear imagining, what would have happened if you had not been there Queenie."

His eyes darted to Tina, who was growing paler as the adrenaline of their escape wore off and the pain of their ordeal lingered. Newt had never suffered the cruciatus curse, but he'd read that the mental damage it caused often left victims feeling aftershocks of pain long after their torture had ended. Coupled with the strain of multiple apparations and bloodloss from her wounded hand, Newt was surprised that Tina was still upright.

"Yes, and why exactly were you there?" Theseus, questioned, still suspicious, but softening.

Queenie recounted the impressions she'd gleaned from Grindelwald and explained her decision to follow, then paused. "Wait…" she cast her eyes to Theseus, "so there wasn't a raid planned?"

He didn't have to answer for her to know the truth, but Newt spoke up.

"No," he said, blushing slightly and Queenie felt a pang of regret from him, "we stepped out for an evening walk-"

"To see if the rumours 'bout a golden snugget...snudet...slugget...help me out here pal, " Jacob interjected, looking to Newt for clarity

"Snidget," Newt corrected.

"Snidget," Jacob repeated matter-of-factly. "To see if the rumours 'bout a snidget living in the gardens are true. Newt thought he might be able to find it."

"But Grindelwald has recently lost something that means a great deal to him and he believes that I had something to do with it. I don't know how he found out where we were but..." Newt continued.

"- he was waiting for us," Tina finished, her voice hard.

"What did he lose?" Theseus questioned.

"I couldn't say," Newt lied with a small shrug.

Queenie frowned. As soon as he'd said it, Newt had pictured the golden pendent in his mind. She knew it too; she'd seen in in Grindelwald's memories not twenty minutes before as she tore through his mind. She opened her mouth to ask, but a small nudge from Tina made her pause and she decided to ask Newt about it later.

"You know I'll still have to take you in to the Ministry," Theseus said to Queenie.

"Yeah," she said, nodding slowly. "I'll tell them everything I know."

Theseus gave a small smile. "It can wait until tomorrow," he raised his eyebrows at Jacob and then turned to Tina. "I'm going to send an owl to the Ministry and then take Vial and Jones back to the gardens to see if he left a trail."

She rose to her feet and immediately wobbled, falling into Newt, who put an arm around her waist to steady her.

"Teen!" Queenie cried in concern.

"Whoa, easy does it," Newt said, "You're not going with him." She opened her mouth to protest but Theseus cut her off.

"Stay here Tina," he said firmly. "You're in no shape to be out there and we don't know if they followed you back here." He fixed her with a meaningful look, "We might need to have an Auror here."

Tina gave a sigh and nodded, "Fine."

"Be careful," Theseus said to Newt before he turned and apparated from the room.

Jacob turned to the others. "Well, I dunno anything about magical healing, but the soup's ready and you all look like you need something to warm you up."

–-

Later, after a quiet and companionable supper, Tina and Queenie had retreated upstairs to get Queenie settled into the room she would share with her sister. Jacob saw to the dishes and Newt went down into his case to check on the baby nifflers. He was just settling them in for the night with a small handful of pewter buttons when he heard footsteps in his shed. He turned, hopeful, and found Queenie at the entrance.

"Sorry honey, it's only me," she said with a sad smile at his thoughts.

Newt cast his eyes down in embarrassment and she giggled, "Oh Newt, I could never be angry with you for hoping for her insteada me."

He blushed and gave her a small smile.

There was a pause and then she asked, "Newt, why did you lie to Theseus?"

Newt frowned, realising what she meant, "Queenie, please don't tell-"

She shook her head, "I won't."

 _How did you even-_

"I saw it in his memories in the gardens. He made a blood pact with someone when he was young. It was a boy. I don't know who he is, but Grindelwald cared for him very much,"

"Hmm," Newt frowned. Queenie didn't know the name that popped up in Newt's thoughts but decided not to ask him avoid admitting that she'd read his mind again.

"I saw other things in his mind too," Queenie continued. "He's been tricking us all. He wants to use Credence to kill the man who broke his heart because he's the only one who could stop him." She paused, recalling Grindelwald's memories of the young man he'd once promised to shift the earth for and his pain when they'd found themselves at odds. "Lost love did terrible things to Grindelwald. The thought of losing Jacob nearly made me do terrible things too," she said softly. She raised her eyes and fixed them on Newt. "Don't let the same thing happen to you and Tina."

Newt immediately cast his eyes downwards in panic.

"Oh, it's okay honey," Queenie smiled, hearing his reaction, "She feels the same way. Alls you need to do is ask her."

Newt smiled and looked up again. "The thing is... After everything that occurred in Paris, that silly comment about Aurors and then Leta… That is, when I found her in Paris, I thought that maybe...but then Grindelwald happened and you left and, well...she's been so fierce ever since." He met her eyes, mild accusation in his gaze, and Queenie felt a pang of remorse for the pain her mistake had caused.

"She was convinced it was a mistake, that you couldn't possibly have chosen to join him. She's been out looking for you every day since." He paused, "Tonight was the first time we've managed to get her to stop… to rest." He gave a small smile, "You know, it was Jacob's idea to lie about a creature in the gardens to trick her into going for an evening walk with me. We just wanted to take her mind off you." He scoffed, "And instead...".

 _She got tortured._ Newt's voice in her head was tinged with bitterness.

He looked up at Queenie, "Do you have any idea how worried we've been about you Queenie? How worried Tina has been?" It was the angriest she'd ever seen Newt and Queenie cast her eyes to the floor. She bit the inside of her lips, holding back tears.

"Yeah, I do," she said, her voice quivering in spite of how much she didn't want it to.

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry," Newt softened immediately. He felt a pang of guilt and sympathy when he realised that as a legilimens, Queenie knew _exactly_ what she'd done to them. He put a tentative hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "You acted out of love for Jacob. None of us can blame you for that. I'm sorry for being harsh with you just now. This past week has been...difficult."

Queenie met his gaze and gave a watery smile before blinking away the tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad you decided to come home, Queenie," he said, "It's not been right without you."

"Thank you for letting me back. I made a terrible mistake, but I won't be tricked again. Your brother was right not to trust me at first. He's hurting too and it's making him so angry."

"Don't worry about Theseus," Newt said, "You saved us tonight. He'll warm up eventually."

She smiled and turned to leave when a thought from his mind stopped her.

"What is it hun?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"It's just...can you tell how...that is, has Tina spoken to you about what happened tonight? It's only that she's been so much quieter since we got in, even with having you back. I know victims of the cruciatus curse take time to recover but she's acting like nothing is wrong. And she's avoided me since supper."

"Why not go ask her yourself?" Queenie said with a small, cheeky smile, "You're good with creatures that are hurting." She cast her eyes around the habitats surrounding them in explanation before fixing him with a meaningful look. "And Tina is hurting."

Just then, Jacob's voice came down from the top of the stairs, "Queenie? You down here honey?"

A ripple of excitement went through Queenie and she grinned, "I'll be up in just a sec!" She turned back to Newt. "Teenie loves cocoa."

With that, she disappeared back into the shed and up the steps, an idea having been firmly planted in Newt's brain.

Ten minutes later, Newt found himself standing at Tina's bedroom door, clutching two mugs of steaming cocoa, which Jacob and Queenie had helped help him prepare. Both were now fully aware of his feelings for the older Goldstein sister – and since Queenie had been briefed on the magazine mix-up, both were willing to conspire to help him. They'd chosen to remain downstairs, talking quietly on the sofa in the sitting room. As he'd passed them to head upstairs, Jacob had called, "Hey Newt! Remember, nothing about no salamanders."

"Too late," Queenie giggled, seeing it in Newt's mind.

Newt had given a small, anxious smile and proceeded up the stairs. He hesitated now, suddenly questioning the social appropriateness of appearing at a woman's bedroom door. Perhaps he shouldn't be here… but then he remembered the way she'd looked at him after he'd healed her hand. He lifted his head and, hands full, knocked lightly on the door with his boot.

"Tina? Tina, are you still awake?" he called softly.

After a few moments' silence, he heard soft footsteps and the door opened slowly to reveal Tina, still in her clothes, eyes glistening and haunted, very much awake. Before she could say anything, he held up a mug of cocoa.

"I thought you might like a hot drink," he said.

She looked from the cocoa to him and smiled, blinking moisture from her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly. She took the drink and leaned heavily against the door, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent. She gave a sigh of pleasure so soft that Newt wondered if he'd actually heard it.

Before his lost his nerve, he blurted, "Tina, can we talk?" at the exact moment that said said, "Do you want to come in?".

Her eyes snapped wide in embarrassment and she looked down at his own mug of cocoa. "There's a sofa in here," she said. They shared an awkward smile before Tina stood back for him to enter.

A/N Thanks for reading :) I've debated writing the conversation that transpires between Newt and Tina, but this seemed like a good place to stop for now.


	2. Chapter 2: Reading Aloud

A/N Thank you thank you thank you for the feedback and the favorites and follows. **Kiarcheo** and **Imagine69** : you two made me smile; I am so happy that you enjoyed it!

Life is rough for me right now and writing this has been a source of light in an otherwise dark time. I hadn't originally planned to continue, but writing is keeping me going right now. **Imagine69** : I'm working up to a Goldstein debrief to patch it all up :)

 **Reading aloud**

Tina's (and now Queenie's) room was simply furnished in a manner befitting emergency Ministry housing. A pair of single beds stood against the far wall opposite the door. There was a tall wardrobe and a wash basin against the left wall and a dressing table beside a window to the right. Beneath the window stood a simple love-seat sofa and Tina led Newt over to it. A book with a well-worn spine was propped open over one of the arm rests and Newt was pleased to find that it was his own.

Following his gaze, Tina blushed and rushed to shut the book. "Sorry, I normally take better care of it–I mean, of books. You just caught me in a sloppy moment," she explained with an embarrassed shrug, self-consciously smoothing the slightly bent cover. The fraying of the binding looked like she'd read the book many times and Newt noted that the corners of a few pages had been folded down.

"What more can an author ask than for his book to be read?" Newt said, offering her a small smile as he sat down.

Tina placed the book on the dressing table and stood awkwardly, clutching her cocoa. She was suddenly acutely aware of how small the sofa was and how close she'd be to Newt if she sat beside him. _Oh, grow up Tina!_ she thought to herself. _You're an Auror for Morrigan's sake! Have a little nerve!_

She made a snap decision and sat down next to Newt, folding her legs up underneath her on the seat. Social propriety be damned. She was tired and brittle and so, so sore.

"It is delightful to have Queenie back," Newt said, taking a sip of his cocoa. "I had no idea she was capable of that, of attacking someone's mind so fiercely."

Tina stared into her cocoa. "It happened once before when we were little...when our parents died," she said softly. "She lashed out at the nurse who came to take us away from the ward and the consequences were...bad. After that, she had to learn to manage her emotions so it wouldn't happen again."

Newt was silent for a moment, unsure of how to react. He'd caught a glimpse of a young Tina in the silver execution chamber fluid, so young and innocent, and felt a stab of pity at the thought of how early the Goldstein sisters' childhood had ended. He fumbled for something to say, but Tina continued.

"But that's my sister. She's always been so much more than the pretty face and sweet heart that people see," she said, taking a slow sip of her cocoa. Tina sighed and her shoulders slumped, "I didn't realise things were this bad again. I knew she was upset about Jacob. We fought about it just before I left for Paris...but for her to have chosen Grindelwald… I just…I didn't know she was that desperate."

"It's not your fault Tina," Newt said. "She'd tried everything she could think of to be with Jacob," he recalled Jacob's drunken enchantment-laden state of the past fortnight. "She was vulnerable and probably not completely herself. And it's all worked out. There are some things that people have to discover for themselves...and Queenie knows where her heart is now. That doubt is gone from her mind and she'll be a force to be reckoned with if Grindelwald approaches her again."

"I guess so," she gave him a small smile over to top of her mug and pointed to it, "This is delicious."

"Oh, I'm glad. I wasn't sure that you'd still be awake; thought you might be sleeping," Newt said, eyes scanning her form. Tina's face was the palest he'd ever seen it, her eyes distant and her body humming with nervous energy. She'd changed out of her bloody shirt into a fresh one but was clearly not intending to go to bed any time soon.

"Like Theseus said, we don't know if we were followed," she explained with a small shrug. "They could be waiting for us to go to sleep."

"Is that why you're still awake?" Newt glanced past her at the clock ticking on the dresser. It was nearing midnight. "Because Tina, you don't look like you should be."

Embarrassment flashed across her face and Newt kicked himself internally. "No, I didn't mean...that is, you look...well...Tina, you are beautiful, but the fire in your eyes. It's not there...not since we escaped the gardens. You say you're fine," he took her injured hand and gently rubbed his thumb over the new ridges and pink skin, "but Tina, I don't think that you are."

He looked up and found her eyes brimming with tears. She bit her lip, fighting for control.

"Tina. Tina, please. Talk to me. I want to help," Newt touched her cheek tenderly.

"It still hurts," she said softly, meeting his gaze and offering a small shrug. "I know it's over. I've been trained to know that it's all in my head but Newt, I can still feel it. Grindelwald's curse rolling through me any time I'm not distracted. Every time I close my eyes or let my mind wander, I'm back there on the ground, wishing to die. I can still feel it flaying my skin. I can't think. I can't rest. And what if he comes back? We know he won't stop until he's got it back."

"Is that why you were reading my book? To distract yourself?" Newt asked gently.

Tina cast her eyes into her cocoa, embarrassed, and nodded. "I've read it so many times that I can hear your voice in my head. It's as if you're there next to me, telling me about your creatures," she explained. Her eyes sought his. "It's...comforting."

Newt's heart hummed with joy at her confession. Queenie had been right.

"Oh Tina, I'm so, so sorry about what happened in the gardens. There never was a snidget. Jacob and I...we just wanted to take your mind off Queenie. And then...to see you suffer so much because of something I did, well...I've never felt more hopeless. The thought of what might have happened to you if Queenie hadn't arrived when she did will haunt me forever. I'm so very sorry to have gotten you into this mess."

Tina shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but Newt interrupted her to continue, "I could not live with myself if anything had happened to you."

There. He'd said it. There was a beat and Newt searched her face for a reaction. She shut her eyes and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

 _Oh no._ "Tina, I'm sorry. I didn't intend-" Newt started.

"No one has ever said that to me before," she said softly, meeting his eyes. She sniffed and swatted at her tears.

"Well then let me say it again Tina. I care about you. Deeply," Newt said, his voice firmer now. He reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear and she caught his hand.

"I care for you too," she whispered, interlacing her fingers with his and squeezing his hand gently.

Their eyes locked then, a world of emotions flying between them. Downstairs on the sofa with Jacob, Queenie gasped and clutched her heart. A small smile spread across her face at the wave of feeling washing over her from above.

Upstairs, Tina's eyes darted to Newt's lips and she found herself acutely aware of how close they were to each other. She couldn't tell who moved first but in the next heartbeat, their lips met in a tentative kiss and the electricity that shot through her vaporised all thought of propriety from her mind. When they broke apart seconds later – could it only have been seconds?! – her heart was racing. Newt sighed and rested his forehead against hers.

"Tina, that was..." he started, breathless.

"Worth repeating?" she let out a small giggle, amazed at the power of the kiss.

"Exactly," Newt breathed before capturing her lips again.

His heart full for the first time since arriving in Paris, Jacob had suggested that he walk Queenie to her bedroom door before they both turned in for the night. They'd stayed up as late as they could bear, talking and giggling on the sofa, acutely aware that Queenie would be whisked away by Theseus in the morning for questioning at the Ministry. It had been a blissful evening, back in each other's company at last, and they'd spent a good deal of time discussing the possibility of migrating to England, where they could marry and live together without fear – especially after Queenie caught a few stray thoughts from Newt and Tina in the bedroom directly above them and suggested that her sister might not be rushing back to New York. Jacob was surprised that she'd managed to listen in from so far away and suspected that the range of her abilities had increased dramatically after the encounter with Grindelwald: a thought that Queenie immediately confirmed after hearing it cross his mind.

When their eyes had started to droop and Jacob found Queenie's voice getting softer as fatigue claimed her, he'd suggested they call it a night. Newt had not returned to his case, which stood before them on the sitting room floor, and so, it was with mischievous curiosity that they climbed the stairs to the bedroom that Queenie was sharing with her sister. The door was slightly ajar and they could hear Newt's voice through the gap. Jacob raised an eyebrow at Queenie and she gave a muffled giggle as they peeked into the room.

Newt and Tina were on the sofa under the window. Tina was fast asleep, curled up against him with her head on his shoulder. In his left hand, Newt held her copy of his book as he read aloud from it. He paused to look down at her, realising that she'd fallen asleep and reached up to slowly run his hand over her hair. Queenie caught a flush of affection from his mind. She turned towards Jacob and the the door gave a low creak. Newt's eyes snapped up to them but Tina didn't move, still deep asleep.

 _She couldn't sleep,_ Newt thought to Queenie with a small smile. _Though having a distraction seems to have helped._

His heart was filled with warmth and Queenie winked at him, privately amazed that her sister had let her guard down so quickly. _But then you know how feels she about him_ , Queenie thought to herself. Beside her, Jacob gave Newt a cheeky thumbs-up and together, they eased the door shut.


	3. Chapter 3: A Flash in the Night

A/N Thanks for the feedback lovelies :) I've gone meandering a bit with this one...procrastinating with the thesis yet again.

 **Chapter 3**

 **A flash in the night**

A flash of green. Newt hit the ground beside Tina hard. In death, his eyes were frozen open, staring into hers but devoid of the warm soul that'd been looking out from them moments before. Tina gave a strangled gasp of horror and scrambled onto her knees beside his body.

"NO! Newt!" her breath caught in the back of her throat as she grasped at his chest, fingers balling the fabric of his coat. Hot tears streamed down her face and acid raced through her heart. "Newt!"

She heard tutting from behind and spun to face the person responsible. Queenie lowered her wand, her face stony and devoid of emotion. Beside her, Grindelwald was smirking and shaking his head at Tina.

"He had his chance," Grindelwald said. He raised an eyebrow. "What about you Miss Goldstein? Will you join our noble cause?"

"How could you?! You're a monster!" Tina yelled, the pain in her heart cracking her voice. "I'll never join you!"

Her eyes darted to her little sister, her oldest and dearest friend and partner in crime. Queenie, the light to her darkness and the one who chose to see joy at every chance she got. She looked at Tina now with a chilly anger and the older sister felt her breath catch in her throat. "Queenie, please," she started, "This is not where you belong! Don't do this."

"You wouldn't fight for me,"Queenie said coldly, shaking her head. "Mister Grindelwald will. You are not my sister." She turned to look to the dark wizard beside her.

"Indeed. Pity," Grindelwald muttered. He put an arm around the blonde's waist and smiled down at her. "You know what to do, my dear."

Queenie returned his smug smile, adoration in her eyes, then turned back to Tina. She raised her wand and ice water ran through the Auror's veins.

"No! Queenie, please! Don't! You're not a–" Tina's plea was cut off as lightning burst from her sister's wand and hit her square in the chest. A thousand volts ran through her, searing her body from the inside. Her chest muscles seized and Tina found herself gasping in agony, unable to make a sound. The pain intensified and Tina fell back to the ground besides Newt's body. How had it all gone so horribly wrong? Queenie had chosen Grindelwald over her. She'd murdered Newt, the only man to stir Tina's heart, on Grindelwald's command without hesitation and now she was going to kill her sister too. Tears flowed from Tina's eyes. _Queenie! Please!_ So great was her grief that she would have been sobbing if she'd been able to breathe. As it was, she lay gasping on the ground, pain coursing through her as her vision narrowed to a pinprick. _Oh Queenie…_

Tina bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. Aftershocks of grief and pain rippled through her as she took in the room around her. Realising that it'd been a dream, she shut her eyes in silent relief and was unsurprised to find her lashes wet with real tears. She fell back onto the pillow, breathing heavily and waited for her heart to stop racing. It was still dark in the room and she turned to her right to find Queenie's bed empty. A jolt of panic raced through her. Maybe it had all been a dream? Maybe she'd only dreamed that Queenie had saved them from Grindelwald in the Tuileries Garden; maybe her little sister was actually still hiding somewhere with that fanatical psychopath. Tina's eyes darted around the moonlit room as she tried to recall how she'd gotten into bed that night. Her eyes fell on two mugs on the dressing table and relief washed over her. It wasn't a dream! Queenie had come home. They'd eluded Grindelwald and Rosier. Newt had brought her cocoa...and they'd finally talked about their feelings for each other! Tina sighed with relief. It was all okay. They were safe.

With a small smile, Tina looked down and found that she was still fully dressed in the previous evening's clothes. The redness of her injured hand was finally fading, though some of the larger scars were still dark and raised. She glanced at the clock on the dresser: 03:06 am. She recalled sitting with Newt on the sofa as he read to her a few hours earlier. He'd known just what to do to calm her nervous mind and the last thing Tina could remember was nestling her head on his shoulder, finally beginning to relax. After a rough night, hearing that Newt cared for her and then finally feeling his lips on hers had left Tina dizzy with joy and relief. Still largely oblivious to his effect on her, Newt had ascribed the feeling to the stress of the night and had insisted she try to get some rest. His suggestion that he read to distract her had obviously worked because she couldn't recall falling asleep and had no idea how she'd gotten into bed. Or where Newt was now.

Equally concerned by Queenie's absence, Tina swung her legs over the side of the bed and was surprised to have them land on top of Newt's brown case. Well, that answered one question. _Now_ , she thought, _where on earth is Queenie?_ Tina rose, intending to look for her sister, but froze when a shadow fell across the window behind her. A moment later, the glass shattered inwards and the lamp on the bedside table exploded in a spray of porcelain shards. Her Auror instincts kicked in immediately and Tina threw up a shield and dove behind the empty bed just in time to avoid a blast of white light. It hit the side of Queenie's bed hard, flipping it up onto its other side. The impact sent it skidding into Tina, who was pushed back into the corner of the room. Around her, the protective charms placed on the house began to shriek at the intruders.

Newt was deep asleep in the hammock in his case's shed, he'd wanted to stay with Tina but didn't feel right occupying Queenie's bed and thus, had brought his case upstairs and settled in at her bedside. It felt as thought he'd barely been asleep when high-pitched shrieking and crashes from above shook him awake. He immediately rolled from the hammock and scrambled for his wand. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled the swooping evil's cocoon from its hanging home above his potions bench. When he reached the top of the stairs, he eased the case's lid open a crack and found the room around him in disarray. Directly in front of him, at the foot of Tina's bed, stood a thin, dark-haired man that he didn't recognise. To Newt's right, Queenie's bed had been flipped up onto its side and it was now a few feet away wedged across the corner of the room. There was a second man a several metres back from it, near the wardrobe. He was dark-skinned and solid, his head shaved and his mouth snarling as he fired a jinx over the bed. He was forced to dive back towards the bedroom door as his spell was deflected back at him. Newt recognised the triangular symbol of the Deathly Hallows embroidered in silver on the sleeve of the man's coat. Grindelwald's people. _Damn it._

Newt sprang from the case, flinging the swooping evil at the solid man beside the wardrobe.

" _Stupefy_!" His spell hit home and the thin man in front of him dropped. Beside him, there was a flash of brilliant blue and green as the swooping evil took the shorter man down.

" _Allons_!" There was a shriek from Newt's left and the force of a steam train hit him in the side, sending him flying across the room and into the wardrobe. Pain roared through his right side and his head connected with one of the doors as he slammed into it, shards of wood flying. Newt slid to the ground a metre away from the solid man, blinking as he tried to reorient himself. _Damn it_ , he thought, _more than two of them then_.

" _Everte statum!_ " Tina snapped up from behind the overturned bed. With her attention on Newt, Rosier had no time to block. The spell hit her dead on and the French witch was hurled backwards in a vertical spin. She hit the ceiling with a sickening crack, skidded along it and then slid down the wall beside the window. She smashed into the floor and lay there, unmoving. Newt blinked at Tina. There was blood down the side of her face and fury in her eyes. Her jaw clenched as she watched the other woman go down. Satisfied that she would not be getting up, Tina's face softened and she rushed to Newt.

"Newt! Are you hurt?" she cried, falling to the ground beside him. Noticing its master on the floor, the swooping evil abandoned its prey and flew over, settling on her shoulder as she crouched over Newt. If its closeness bothered her, she didn't show it, her attention fully on Newt.

"Tina, you're...magnificent," he gasped, wonder in his eyes and his mouth open in shocked smile.

She scoffed. "And you've clearly hit your head, Mr Scamander." And suddenly, there she was again, the same modest Tina, so different from the fierce witch who'd taken Rosier down moments before.

"You're bleeding," he lightly touched the side of her head. Up close, he could see the blood was flowing from a cut at her hairline.

"Just a messy scrape," she sloughed the comment off. "Are you okay?"

The bedroom door burst open and Theseus entered, clad in pajamas but wand ready, with Queenie close behind him. Seeing the scene before him, he spun to Queenie but before he could say anything, she nodded.

"I'll get them!"

Queenie spun and ran from the room. Noting the prone bodies, Theseus turned his attention to Newt and Tina.

"What happened?!" he crouched down to help Tina pull Newt to his feet. The magizoologist winced and wobbled unsteadily so Tina guided him sideways to sit on the overturned bed. Once settled, he held up his hand to the swooping evil, which was still peering at him from Tina's shoulder.

"Come on then, you," he called it. With a brief lick of the bloody side of Tina's face, the creature spun back into its cocoon in Newt's hand.

"They came in through the window," Tina said to Theseus. She crouched down in front of Newt and scanned his face. "Newt? You don't look good," she said, followed by a muttered, " _Lumos minima_." The tip of her wand glowed faintly and she held it in front of Newt.

"I better to check your head. Hold still and follow my wand." She scanned his face and carefully moved the wand from side to side in front of his eyes.

"I'm fine Tina," he said, putting his hand on hers to lower her wand. "I've had worse scrapes. This is just a headache. I'm sure it'll fade soon."

"Are you hurt?" Theseus asked Tina. She shook her head.

"I was awake," she explained, "I got outta the way in time."

"Was it just these two?" Theseus gestured to the two men on the floor.

"No, that French woman is–" Tina spun to look for Rosier but found the floor where she'd landed empty. "...here. Sassafras! How in hades did she get away?!" she swore.

"Never mind, we've still got these two," Theseus said. "We'll see what they have to say for themselves."

Just then, two other Aurors entered the room. Vial was a lean Frenchman with brown hair and a casual stride that belied his immense skill as a dueller. He was followed closely by Jones, a Welsh member of Theseus's department at the British Ministry of Magic with a black beard that'd make a dwarf jealous. When they'd finished in the gardens, the Head Auror had asked them to remain at the house through the night, just in case, and they'd been asleep in the sitting room until the wards had begun shrieking and Queenie came rushing downstairs to fetch them.

"More of Grindelwald's fanatics?" Jones asked, looking down at the solid man unconscious at Theseus's feet.

Theseus nodded, "This was a bold move, even for them."

Vial noticed the tall man blinking off Newt's stupefaction and hurried to haul him to his feet, giving him a good jostle on the way up. Theseus trained his wand on the man, his face cold.

"Why are you here?" He demanded.

The man gave a barking laugh and raised an eyebrow at the Head Auror. _Really? You're actually expect me to answer?_

"They're here for me," Queenie's voice came from the doorway and their eyes darted to her. She stood in an oversize cotton pajama set, obviously on loan from Jacob, who was at her shoulder with concern etched across his face. "I know too much," Queenie continued, "Grindelwald doesn't leave loose ends. Only I wasn't sharing with Teen tonight, so they busted into the wrong room."

The thin man's eyes widened in shock at hearing his thoughts spoken aloud. He was clearly important enough to have been given this task but had not been told about Queenie's legilimency. He'd only a little occlumency training; Rosier obviously hadn't expected to encounter any resistance and he cursed her lack for foresight now as he scrambled to mask his thoughts. Tina saw an opportunity and seized it.

"How did you know where to find us?" she demanded, her eyes darting to meet Queenie's. He sister looked back, understanding.

The man glared at her and said nothing, trying to clear his head of the answers that automatically came to mind. A few moments later, Queenie spoke up. "They've been watching the house since the tomb. There's a mole in the Ministry keeping tabs on you," her eyes darted to Theseus.

"What?! Who is it?" Theseus's face had paled in fury. The man remained stony-faced. Behind him, Queenie frowned.

"He doesn't know," she said. She sensed the man's panic as he attempted to throw up mental defences. They were weak, like cheap clap-board that she could easily smash through. She felt a stab of sadness; this was beginning to feel familiar.

"Tell me where Grindelwald is!" Theseus demanded.

Queenie felt fear rise in the man – fear of Theseus, yes, but more than anything, fear of what Grindelwald would do to him if he gave them more information. She caught a brief glimpse of the Champ du Mars in his mind before the man managed to cobble together enough mental nonsense to mask his thoughts from her. If she wanted more information, she was going to have to push for it.

"He's not sure...maybe the Champ du Mars or somewhere around there?" she frowned, prodding at his defences. In front of her, the man had started to sweat with effort. "He's figuring out how to keep me out of his head."

"Well if you're so powerful that you can disable Grindelwald, then surely you can do this?" Theseus asked with annoyance. "Tell me where Grindelwald is."

"No, it'll hurt him," Queenie said. "I won't do it."

Theseus gaped at her and Queenie's heart wrenched. This is not happening, she thought frantically.

"Really?!" Theseus started, "Even after what he's done? After they've burst in here and nearly killed Newt and Tina-"

"I can't," Queenie whispered. "Not again."

Theseus opened his mouth to respond but was quietened by Tina's hand on his arm.

"Theseus, this is not how we work," she said firmly, an apology in her eyes. "I know it's tempting but Queenie's already given us more than we would have had without her."

"And pushing her makes us no better than Grindelwald," Newt intoned from his position on the overturned bed.

Theseus sighed in frustration, looking between them, and dropped his head in agreement. He turned to Vial and Jones. "Take them to the Ministry gentlemen. I was follow," he instructed.

As the two Aurors removed the men, one walking with Vial's wand at his neck and the other still unconscious and levitated out by Jones, Queenie crossed the room to Tina with Jacob close behind her. The baker gave the Auror's and their quarry a wide berth.

Theseus sighed and turned to Queenie. "My apologies, Ms Goldstein. I forgot myself," he said. "It has been a challenging week and I appreciate your assistance."

"I understand," Queenie said, "And I'm sorry I couldn't get more information for you. This week...when I was with Grindelwald...he used me, made me hurt people. One of your Aurors...Thompson, I think his name was. He pretended to be loyal to get on the inside but Grindelwald found out, because of me. And then...even after I'd got everything outta him, Grindelwald just wanted me to hurt him. To punish him for trying to lie about joining up. Doing it...made me sick. I won't do it again."

"Oh Queenie," Tina said sadly, "I'm so sorry."

Jacob put a protective arm around the blonde witch and kissed her shoulder. "We won't ask none 'o that of you Queenie," he said with a meaningful glare at Theseus.

"No...certainly not," Theseus agreed. "We are not the monsters. Thank you for reminding me of that."

"But if you give him something to soften him a little, to distract him so he can't concentrate, then I can try again to get what you need," Queenie said to Theseus with a small smile. "I do want to help."

He smiled and nodded, "Thank you. Your willingness to be of assistance will certainly make it easier for us to plead your case to the council tomorrow." He paused and looked to Tina, "In fact, if Grindelwald now sees Queenie for the potential threat she is, we need to get her somewhere safer. We should depart for the Ministry immediately. I doubt they will come back tonight...they'll probably be too busy vacating their current address."

Tina nodded her agreement and placed a hand on Queenie's arm. "We won't let him hurt you," she said firmly to her sister and Queenie knew that she meant it.

Theseus crossed to the broken window and pointed his wand, " _Speculus reparo_." Behind him, Jacob gasped as the shattered glass on the floor returned to its frame. Theseus turned to Tina, "I'm going to go ahead. I'll send Barker to accompany you to the Ministry." He turned to Queenie and Jacob, "I realise it's early and we've all had very little sleep, but you'll be safest inside the Ministry for now. Gather what you need and let Tina escort you." He focussed on Jacob. "You may, of course, accompany Ms Goldstein, Mr Kowalski. Here in Europe, we are not as backwards as our American brothers."

Queenie gave him a small smile and a nod, "Thank you, Mr Scamander."

Theseus looked at his little brother, still seated on the bed, "I think it'll be best if you accompany them Newt."

"Of course," Newt nodded. His eyes caught Tina's and he gave a small smile.

Finally, Theseus looked to Tina, casting his eyes down over her shirt, which was stained with blood that had run down her face. "Get cleaned up. I'll make sure there is coffee when you arrive. It's going to be a long day."

Tina looked down at her shirt and sighed. _Not another one._

With that, Theseus departed and the four were left alone in the ruins of the girls' bedroom.

Jacob let out a breath. He pursed his lips and nodded with grudging acceptance, "Well, it was great while it lasted. All five hours of it."

Newt barked a laugh and immediately winced as pain tore through his right side. Tina noticed and frowned in concern. "Newt… you're not okay," She said, eyes scanning for injuries.

"He got hit with a repulsion spell and smashed into the wardrobe," Queenie said to Jacob in explanation, pointing to the shattered armoire.

"Yeowch!" Jacob winced, "You know, my grandfather cracked a rib once. Said it was the worst pain he'd ever had. But you've got a spell or something that can fix him right?"

Tina frowned at Newt, placing a gentle hand on his side. He winced and she pulled it back quickly. "Sorry," she said guiltily. She pointed his wand at his right side, " _Episkey_."

Newt felt a flash of heat in his ribs; there was a muffled crack and the pain was gone, "Thank you Tina." He grasped her hand and touched the side of her face. "Now..." he held up his wand and swept it over the blood that was starting to dry down the side of her face. " _Tergeo_ ," he said softly. It vanished with a wisp of red smoke, leaving her skin clean and bright. She gave him a smile.

"Geez, magic is never gonna get old for me," Jacob said, wonder across his face. Beside him, Queenie giggled.

"I hope not," she said with a wink and a grin. She and Jacob shared a mischievous look.

"We should get moving to the Ministry," Tina said with an apologetic face. "Before they get any more ideas or that awful woman comes back with reinforcements." she explained.

Queenie caught her image in Tina's mind and frowned. "Vinda?" Queenie asked, "Rosier was here again?"

Newt nodded. "You know her?"

"She took me to Grindelwald when I got lost in the city," Queenie explained with a small shrug.

"I doubt she'll be back soon," Newt said. He looked at Tina. "You injured her quite seriously Tina. It's a wonder she managed to apparate out."

"She hurt you," Tina said. "I hope the harpy got splinched on her way out." Newt caught a brief glimpse of the fury he'd seen in her eyes earlier and felt a flush of heat go through him. How was it that she cared for him? This fiercely protective, humble, brilliant and beautiful woman. How had he ever caught her eye?

Across from him, Queenie could hear Tina vowing to annihilate the next person to hurt the magizoologist and she smiled. The wonders of cocoa, she thought to herself. She turned to Jacob and took his hand, "Lets get ready, honey." She led him towards the door, then paused and looked back at her sister, "Meet you downstairs?"

Tina nodded and Queenie exited, leaving Newt and Tina alone in the ruined bedroom. Newt bit his lip, still figuring out how to navigate the new intimacy between them.

"You were brilliant just now, Tina. I've never seen that spell performed so powerfully before," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Well, I did sleep very well for a couple hours," she said with a small smile, "thanks to you." She sighed heavily. "We should go," she said, resigned to a long day ahead.

Newt didn't let go of her hand. "Tina...why were you awake?"

"Nightmare. Tonight's the first time I've been grateful for one," she chuckled woodenly. "Have you been sleeping in your case this whole time?"

Newt cast his eyes down, caught out. "It's comfortable. And I can keep an eye on the nifflers. I didn't bring anyone else except Cerberus and Pickett, so the case is relatively quiet."

"Cerberus?" Tina frowned.

"The swooping evil," Newt said, holding out the cocoon to her.

"He's a real life-saver," Tina said, gently running a finger down a spiky green side. The cocoon shivered but remained tightly wound.

"He seems to have taken a liking to you," Newt smiled at her. "Or perhaps that was just the blood."

"Whatever it was, I love him even more now ," her smile faded a little. "Keep him close today?"

Newt nodded and she sighed. On a whim, he pulled her towards him and kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. Newt wasn't used to touching other people this much, even though he was more than happy interacting with his creatures, but Tina was different. As she'd slept against him earlier, he'd found that he liked having her near. It felt as natural as carrying Dougal or brushing the mooncalves and Newt hoped that they'd have time to continue exploring their new-found intimacy.


	4. Chapter 4: An interrogation of the heart

A/N Thank you thank you for your feedback and reviews! It's amazing how encouraging a few kinds words can be and it definitely gets me writing faster! Please yell if there's something specific you'd like to see happen and I'll see if I can slot it in. Got one more chapter planned for the fic as it currently stands, but I'm really enjoying writing it, so totally open to suggestions :)

 **An interrogation of the heart**

The corridors of the Ministere Des Affaires Magiques were quiet as Newt and Jacob sat outside the interrogation room next door to what had been Theseus and Tina's base of operations for the past week. Theseus was inside at his desk updating MACUSA and the British Ministry of Magic. From the sounds coming through the gap in the door, it seemed as though both organisations wanted agents present for Queenie's 'debriefing' (as Theseus was calling it). After all, she was the best lead any of them had on Grindelwald's location. Queenie had given Theseus Grindelwald's last address and Vial and Jones had been despatched for reconnaissance. As soon as they'd arrived at the ministry, she and Tina had been shuffled into an interrogation room by a harrassed-looking junior Auror named Barker who was clearly none-too-pleased to have been summoned to work this early. While Jacob was permitted within the Ministry, Theseus had suggested that it was better for Tina accompany her sister during the interview, given her growing reputation as an Auror and previous experience with Grindelwald. Newt and Jacob would be interviewed as well, but for now, found themselves seated side-by-side on a less-than-comfortable wooden bench, waiting. Both were tired and clutching cups of lukewarm tea raided from the department's meagre kitchenette while Theseus had prepared coffee for the girls.

"Jacob, I wanted to ask: how are you coping with all this?" Newt asked, looking over at his friend. "It's only that I want to assure you that our lives are not usually this eventful; the wizarding world can actually be quite peaceful at times."

Jacob chuckled, "Well it ain't been a ride in the park so far."

"I'd apologise for getting you involved, but I've enjoyed your company immensely. Tell me...do you regret regaining your memories?" Newt asked.

"Nah, never pal. I was goin' nowhere before I met you. And look at me. Sure, it looks like there's gonna be a war and – don't get me wrong – that is terrifying, but also, look at how much better my life is. You gave me the bakery I was dreamin' of. I got to discover your creatures and this whole world that was right there under my nose an' I never knew about it. And Queenie, well. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." He sighed and cocked his head at Newt. "Even with the bakery, I'd rather live in this world as a no-maj than be some sad schmuck out there believing that magic ain't real, you know what I'm sayin'?"

Newt nodded. "I think I do," he said with a smile. "I'm glad you feel that way. It would not be the same without you." He paused. "Did you and Queenie have an opportunity to talk about what happened?"

"Yeah, last night. We're not going to let anything come between us again. No matter what happens, we're going to find a way to be together," Jacob said with conviction.

"Have you considered migration to England or somewhere here in Europe? Our laws do not forbid relations between magical and non-magical people," Newt offered.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah...we talked about it. Only, I'm a little worried about the bakery. I mean, this's been a long time to leave Andrew alone to run the place and I can't let it slip. It's been my dream for so long an' I wanna be able to provide for Queenie. I wanna be a good husband for her, ya know?"

"Yes, I understand. But Jacob, you know, wizards love pastry as much as anyone," Newt said, hinting.

"Yeah, but if we moved over here then the girls would have to split up. Queenie's not sure what'll happen to Tina without her. They've been so much to each other for so long... I don't think I wanna do that to them."

"Hmm," Newt nodded, considering. "I might be able to help with that… and also Jacob, I think that a return to ordinary life, particularly in New York, might not be possible for now, especially with what's happened and the possibility of retaliation from Grindelwald and his fanatics. You may have to consider alternative options if you and Queenie wish to remain together and stay safe."

Jacob sighed and raked his hands over his face, "Yeah, you're right." He paused and then asked, "Are guns legal in England? We may not have magic, but us New Yorkers have ways of dealing with problems."

"No," Newt said quickly. "And I don't think that would be necessary. Tina is quite formidable and with Queenie's abilities growing, I suspect we'll have a good chance of not being taken by surprise again. I imagine we'll also have some support from the authorities now that Queenie is on our side, especially if Theseus has his way, and I have a few favours I could call in, should we need assistance." A certain professor crossed his mind, currently hosting Nagini at Hogwarts and helping her to adjust to life outside the circus. Newt gave his friend what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "We'll protect you and Queenie, Jacob. You won't be helpless."

"Thanks pal," Jacob says with a light clap on his shoulder. "So, uh, you and Tina, huh? That was a pretty adorable scene last night..."

Newt blushed and gave him a small smile, "Yes, well...It's only the beginning really; not much has happened between us yet."

"Nah, it's obvious she's sweet on you. Queenie says Tina ain't ever thought about another guy the way she thinks about you – and Queenie would know!" he winked.

"Well, it warms my heart to hear that. It's just, well...now is such an unfortunate time for this to happen, with all that is going on–"

"Newt, now is is the perfect time," Jacob interrupted him. "She's gonna need support; heck, we ALL are. Even you, Mister Beast Wrangler. Plus, you never know where things lead. We could all be dead tomorrow," he added with a small shrug. "Gotta make hay, an' all that."

Jacob was right, of course, and Newt resolved to make the best of the time they had; no more misunderstandings. He thought about the mix-up with the magazine article and felt a pang of sadness. Leta's death had been a shock to them all and Newt suddenly wondered how on earth his brother was keeping it together. The thought of losing and of his friends was unbearable but to never see Tina again unthinkable, even this early in their relationship. Newt resolved to have a conversation with his brother as soon as they found themselves alone.

xxx

True to his word, Theseus had brought Tina and Queenie mugs of coffee as soon as they'd been shown to the interrogation room. The coffee was bitter and needed milk; not at all to Queenie's taste, but it did the job and sharpened their minds a little to face the oncoming day. Theseus had returned a few minutes later with a stack of paperwork for Tina to complete and explained that both the British Minister for Magic and Madam President Picquery would be joining them for the interview, given that Queenie was technically a MACUSA employee and the first defector from Grindelwald's organisation. Thus, there'd be a short wait while portkeys were arranged.

Tina and Queenie were left alone to wait. Both were wound up after the events of the past 24 hours and so they sat in a tense but companionable silence, each lost in her own thoughts as Tina worked her way through the paperwork. Queenie did her best to stay out of her sister's mind, but after five minutes of silence, she grew restless and glanced over at Tina to find that she'd stopped writing. Her eyes were shut tight and her hands were clenched into fists and shaking on either side of the parchment stack before her. Concerned, Queenie reached out with her mind.

"Teen, what's–" Pain tore through her sister and Queenie felt it as acutely as if it were her own body. It started as a knife twisting in the centre of her chest and raced down her arms and legs and up into her head, growing hotter as it went until Tina's hands, feet and the top of her head left as if they were on fire.

Queenie gasped out loud and grabbed her sister's hand. "Teen! You're still hurting," she cried.

Tina's eyes snapped to her, haunted and panicked. She took a deep breath, shut her eyes and sighed.

"Please don't read my mind Queenie. You don't wanna know what's going on in here right now," she said softly.

"Sorry," Queenie said, giving her sister's hand a squeeze before she released it. "Is this from the … from last night? In the gardens?"

Tina nodded and exhaled slowly, casting her eyes back to the parchment before her. "Yeah." She picked up her quill and visibly composed herself to continue writing. "It's normal after...that."

"Oh," Queenie said quietly, resisting the urge to read Tina's mind to figure out what she could say to make things better. She recalled Newt's explanation that distracting Tina with his reading had worked to calm her and so, Queenie changed the topic.

"You know, I'm getting better at understanding Newt's accent now," she offered. "His thoughts were so loud tonight… He really cares for you Teen." She let a smile creep across her face at the thought of the magizoologist. "He was so worried about you this week...he said you didn't sleep much?"

Tina's face dropped and she stopped writing to look at her sister. "You were gone, Queenie," she said sadly. _You chose him over me. After everything we've shared, you left us for that psychopath._

Her thoughts bombarded Queenie with remorse and the younger witch felt guilt rise in her again. Tina may have welcomed her back with open arms the night before, but Queenie could sense an undertone of resentment in her sister's voice now and she didn't want let it fester. Tina turned back to her work but Queenie snatched the quill from her hand, determined to explain her side of the story.

"Everything went wrong, Teen. I came to Paris to find you, but you weren't there and the Ministry had no record of you and then I got lost and it was raining and so many people's thoughts were in my head but I couldn't get rid of them or understand the French." As Queenie spoke, Tina's face visibly softened with sadness for her little sister. "I was so scared and I didn't know what to do...and then Vinda – Rosier – she helped me. She was kind to me, Teen."

She heart Tina scoff in her thoughts. _Of course it was her,_ m _anipulative bitch_ , she thought, and Queenie felt blistering resentment in her sister's heart. But Tina remained outwardly calm, listening to her sister, so Queenie continued.

"I told him no the first time, and he let me leave. But then after, I still couldn't find you and I started thinking about what he'd said about love and freedom. I missed Jacob so much. I was alone and so scared," her eyes met Tina's and she paused and swallowed before continuing. "You wouldn't fight for me...Grindelwald would."

Tina's eyes snapped wide in shock and the colour drained from her face. Her thoughts roared at Queenie, who suddenly saw it all: the nightmare that'd woken her sister – the one in which she spoke those exact words after joining Grindelwald and murdering Newt in front of her.

"Oh Teenie, why didn't you tell us?" she cried sadly. "I'd never to that to Newt, or to you!"

Tina clenched her jaw, visibly fighting to maintain her composure. She gave her sister a stern look. "Really, Queenie? Not even for Jacob?" Her voice was level but underneath, Tina's heart was racing. She hadn't meant to lash out but now that they'd started this, she had to know. They had to have this out or their relationship would never recover.

Queenie drew back as if she'd been slapped and silence hung in the air between them for a few seconds before she frowned.

"I'm no murderer, Tina," Queenie said with iron in her voice. She kept her eyes locked with her sister's, "Do you really believe that I could do that?"

 _Of course not!_ Tina cast her eyes down in shame. Queenie had heard her thoughts but deliberately waited for Tina to answer. She needed to hear her sister say it out loud.

"No, I don't," Tina admitted softly. "But I used to think you'd never betray me." She looked back up at Queenie with glistening eyes and shook her head. "Mercy Lewis Queenie! I thought he'd kidnapped you or used the Imperius curse. Jacob said you'd chosen to go but I didn't wanna believe that it was true! I spent the week looking for you...tryna figure out where he was keeping you because I _knew_ you'd never support someone like him." Tina threw her hands up and cast her eyes down, shaking her head. She sighed, "But I was wrong."

"Only for a bit," Queenie said softly. "I didn't know what he was really like and I was sure he wanted what I wanted...for us to be free to love, to not be divided and stuck hiding all the time. I ain't never gonna find anybody like Jacob. He doesn't think about me the same way other fellas do; he's kind and he sees more than my face when he looks at me. Teenie, I just...I couldn't give up on him. On us. I just want to have what Ma an' Pa had, you know?"

It was Tina's turn to feel remorse and she grasped her sister's hand and squeezed gently.

"And when I figured it out… when I found you in the gardens and felt what Grindelwald was doing," Queenie blinked, tears filling her eyes. "Then it all fell apart again and I realised how wrong he is. I knew for sure what I fool I am."

Tina's heart wrenched at her sister's tears and she pulled Queenie into a hug. "You're no fool, Queenie Goldstein," she said firmly. "You are smarter than half the Aurors in MACUSA and you have twice their courage. Even with all the things you've had to hear from other people's thoughts, you've never let your light go out. You see the good in everyone and I wouldn't change that about you for all the hot dogs in New York, do you hear me?"

 _You are everything that is good in this world and that bastard may have used you but please tell me he didn't break you,_ Tina thought let out a watery giggle and raised her head from Tina's shoulder.

"No, he didn't," she said. She met her sister's gaze. "I'm so, so sorry Teen."

"So am I," Tina replied, wiping a tear from Queenie's cheek. "I should have realised how serious you felt about Jacob. I should have helped you."

Queenie gave a little shrug and laughed through her tears, "Well, I was tryna break the law..."

"It's a ridiculous law," Tina blurted with a shake of her head. She quickly cast a nervous glance around the room, suddenly aware of the impending arrival of her boss, then turned back to Queenie. "Besides, how many chances are we gonna get at love, huh?" She offered a wry smile, "Jacob is a good man. He may be a no-maj, but he's one of us and if he makes you happy, I promise you Queenie, I'll do whatever I can to help you two be together."

A bright smile bloomed across Queenie's face. She gave a sob of joy and threw her arms around her big sister.

"Oh, thank you Teenie! I promise, we're going to be so happy. Just like you and Newt!"

In her arms, Tina froze. She drew back and raised an eyebrow at her sister, "And what exactly do you know about me and Newt?"

"Only that you two can't stop thinkin' about each other," Queenie teased. "Only that he asked me to help make cocoa just that way you like it last night. Only that he moved his case upstairs to be near you. Only that you swore to fight anyone who threatens him. Only that he thinks your eyes glow like–"

"Okay, okay, stop! I get the picture," Tina cried with a smile. "And yes, Mr Scamander and I are...closer."

Queenie rolled her eyes but Tina continued, "And I'm happy...but it's also a real bad time for this. His brother's just lost his fiancée and you know he was close to her for a long time. I don't wanna expect anything or..."

"Scare him off?" Queenie finished.

Tina sighed, "Yeah."

"Oh don't worry, honey," Queenie winked. "He's thinkin' the same things about you."

Just then, Theseus entered. He paused, aware that he'd walked in on a moment between the sisters and cleared his throat. "Apologies for the interruption. Madam Picquery has arrived and the Minster is just about to enter," he said. "We'll be starting soon and things will hopefully proceed swiftly." He turned to Tina. "Vial and Jones have also just reported in. They found the house empty. Grindelwald and his fanatics must not have wasted any time after their failed assassination attempt."

"Pity," Tina said. "I doubt he'll stay hidden for long."

"Yes," Theseus agreed, nodding. "His interest in Newt last night is a matter of some concern and since he's now got a stake in your demise," he looked at Queenie, "we may need to discuss your plans for the future quite seriously when this interview is over."

Tina and Queenie nodded their understanding and Theseus departed to welcome the Minister.

Queenie sighed, anxiety sparking within her, and Tina gave her sister's hands an encouraging squeeze.

"It's going to be okay, I promise," she said earnestly and Queenie wanted desperately to believe her.

A/N Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you like it so far :)


	5. Chapter 5: Leaving Paris

**A/N** Apologies for the delay. The reason is that you are now reading the work of Dr Hollysgirl: my thesis was approved and I got my PhD in the time since the last chapter. So now more excuses now! The rest of the story is mapped out and we've got another chapter or two before the end.

Hope you enjoy 😊

 **Leaving Paris**

The sun had set over Paris when Newt, Theseus, Tina and Jacob apparated onto the front steps of their Paris home. It had been a long day, filled with tension and suspicion, particularly when it was suggested that Tina and Queenie were both in league with Grindelwald and using Queenie's supposed defection to infiltrate the Ministry. The suggestion had been dismissed almost immediately by both Theseus and President Picquery and was discarded entirely when Fawley was reminded that there was already a mole in the British Ministry- and Tina had never set foot there. After hours of questions, it had been concluded that Queenie's defection was sincere and after deciding that she'd told them everything she knew, the authorities had immediately requested her assistance with the interrogation of the two acolytes they'd caught that morning and who would be questioned in the afternoon.

There was no question of either Newt or Queenie remaining in Paris, given Grindelwald's interest in them. Newt needed to return to London to see to his creatures and after much debate, it was decided that Queenie would be transferred to the Ministry of Magic in England for her own protection and to keep her close to Europe for when her gift was required. She'd also conveniently be under the watchful eyes of both Theseus and Travers while they worked to identify the mole. While Madam Picquery had fought for her return to New York, the president had been out-argued by Minister Fawley, who reminded her somewhat icily of MACUSA's failure to contain Grindelwald and the fact that she'd be an easy target if she returned to the Goldstein apartment. Sensing an opportunity, Newt had immediately offered the spare room in his home, arguing that both he and Theseus would be close at hand.

With Credence now firmly embedded in Grindelwald's organisation, Tina's foreign assignment was concluded. Displeased with what could be viewed as yet another MACUSA failure, Madame Picquery had instructed Tina to return to New York. She was prevented from issuing further orders by Theseus, who'd caught a distressed glance pass between Newt and Queenie and had hastily pointed out that Tina, too, had been targeted by Grindelwald. As a confidant of Newt's and as Queenie's sister, she could be used against them, something that Grindelwald had clearly realised during their encounter in the Tuileries Garden. As an Auror familiar with the case, Tina was also uniquely positioned to be of assistance and thus, Theseus argued, she should remain close to Europe to assist with what was shaping up to be an ongoing investigation into the extent of Grindelwald's reach. With an annoyed sigh, the American president had agreed to a temporary secondment to the Ministry of Magic in London, where Tina could protect her sister and work as part of Theseus's department until a change was necessary. Theseus also pointed out that as an outsider, Tina would have an advantage in helping them identify the mole currently feeding Ministry information to Grindelwald.

There was also the matter of Credence, or potentially, Aurelius Dumbledore, and an urgent owl had been dispatched to Hogwarts to inform the Dark Arts Professor. Until the matter could be investigated further, Fawley intended to keep a close eye on the older wizard and a meeting was being arranged to discuss the matter the next day, after they'd all moved across the Channel.

Given the events of the previous night, the potential danger and the fact that she would be helping with the interrogation in the afternoon, it was decided that Queenie would remain at the Ministry to assist while the others returned to the house to collect their belongings. The group would then travel directly to the Ministry of Magic in London via the Trans-Channel Floo network to minimise the chance of attack.

After a long day fuelled largely by mediocre Ministry tea and coffee, anxiety and dry croissants that cried out for jam, it was a haggard-looking group that found themselves on the front steps of the small terrace house. A collective sigh ran through them, rapidly replaced by tension when they turned to find the front door ajar, hanging only from its bottom hinge and creaking ominously in the slight breeze of evening.

Theseus, Newt and Tina immediately raised their wands and Newt stepped in front of Jacob, tightening his grip on the case. Theseus took point, followed closely by Tina and nudged the door open to find the entrance hall dark and quiet. He turned to Newt and Jacob.

"I think you'd best wait here," he said.

Newt shook his head but Tina agreed, "It might be a trap. No point in us all walking into it." She glanced down at his case. "And you've got precious cargo to protect."

Newt sighed and nodded. He pulled the swooping evil from his coat pocket and flung him outwards. The setting sun glinted off azure wings as the creature unfurled and circled their heads with a low shriek. Newt placed a hand on Tina's shoulder and whistled up to Cerberus, who swooped down and settled beside his master's hand, wing-tip claws lightly piercing Tina's leather coat.

"Take him with you," Newt said, fixing Tina with a meaningful look.

Tina nodded with a small smile, touched by his willingness to trust her with one of his creatures. She cast a quick (and slightly nervous) glance at the animal perched on her shoulder, "We'll look out for each other."

"I know," Newt looked from Tina to Theseus. "Be careful."

His brother nodded and, with a low " _Lumos_ ", illuminated his wand and slipped into the house with Tina just behind him.

Newt turned to Jacob and cast his eyes over the street around them. It was empty and peaceful. Warm yellow lights glowed in some windows where people were home, enjoying dinner with their families. Jacob gave a tense sigh and beside him, Newt wondered if his friend was feeling the same as he was: the sinking loss of that quiet domestic bliss, which seemed to slip further and further away from them with each encounter with Grindelwald's people. It was not something Newt had thought of since his expulsion from Hogwarts and the sudden loss of his friendship with Leta, but since New York, he'd once more begun thinking of having a certain woman in his future.

Her muffled scream from within the house behind him shattered the peace and Newt spun around towards the entrance. He immediately pushed his case into Jacob's arms and stepped into the house. Theseus turned from the doorway to the sitting room to stop him.

"No Newt!" he whispered loudly, "She's fine! Go back!"

Tina appeared in the doorway behind Theseus, shaking her head vigorously, "It's okay Newt. Just don't come in here."

"Why?! What's happened?" Newt demanded. He pushed past his brother and strode towards Tina.

"They've left a message," Tina explained. Up close, she had paled considerably and looked as if she was going to be ill. Newt picked up the metallic scent of blood in the air and noted that Cerberus was gone from her shoulder.

"You don't need to see this Newt," Tina's eyes implored him to agree, to stay out, but Grindelwald had made it personal and Newt was not going to stand by and be protected.

"Why? What've they done?!" He looked past Tina into the room. The lights were still off and Newt squinted into the darkness.

Tina put her hands on his upper arms and squeezed gently to bring his attention back to her. "Newt, did you have any other creatures in the case besides the nifflers and the zhouwu?" she asked seriously.

A frown creased his brow, "Only Pick, but he's been keeping to my pocket, why?"

Tina gave a small sigh of relief. "Then it's not yours," she bit her bottom lip and met his gaze with mournful eyes, ashamed of her relief at knowing that the creature behind her was not Newt's. She knew she couldn't keep him out of the room, but wanted to delay what she was sure would upset him.

"Tina, what's in there?" Newt's eyes flashed back to the doorway and she sagged, letting him push past her to enter the room.

Stealth cast aside, Newt flicked the lights on, figuring that any acolytes in the house were likely already aware of their presence. The sitting room was in total disarray, clearly having fallen victim to a number of destructive spells. Wooden shards of what had been tables and chairs were scattered around the room and dusted with torn fabric and stuffing from the former sofa. The wallpaper was torn in places, the lamp shades were ripped and the mirror above the fireplace had been shattered. Inside the frame, where there had once been reflective glass, hung an adult phoenix. The magnificent bird was upside down, its wings spread and pinioned to the wall with a carving knife in one wing and the fireplace poker through the other. A shard of glass had been jammed into its throat and a gruesome trail of glimmering crimson blood ran down the wall, dripped over the mantel and pooled on the floor in front of the hearth. Above the phoenix, written in what was surely blood, were the words that Newt recalled so well: _Will we die just a little?_

Newt's blood ran cold and he clenched his jaw. Fury and grief raced through him, indistinguishable, as he fought back his revulsion. His heart raced, every instinct screaming at him to go after Grindelwald, to pursue him and wipe him and his foul followers from existence. Phoenixes were extremely rare and to see one abused in this way just to send a message widened a growing crack in Newt's heart. It had started when he'd seen Leta die in Grindelwald's fire and widened the night before as he watched Grindelwald torture Tina. Now, it felt like a chasm of black bile was beginning to bubble in his chest. Was it hatred or sorrow? Newt couldn't tell. All he knew for certain was that he'd most definitely chosen a side and he resolved to do everything in his power to stop the dark wizard.

"Tina, we should clear the rest of the house," Theseus's voice came from behind him.

"Don't bother," Newt muttered sourly, clenching his teeth and his eyes still fixed on the phoenix. "They're gone. They've delivered their message."

Theseus looked to Tina and gave her a small shrug before turning and heading for the kitchen. Newt didn't move, chewing on the inside of his lip as his mind spun between grief and anger. Tina's hand on his arm brought him out of his thoughts and his gaze snapped to her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, taking his hands in her own. "Newt, I'm so sorry they did this."

He met her gaze and the sorrow she saw in his eyes gripped Tina's heart. Without thinking, she dropped his hands and pulled him to her before he could resist. He was rigid for a moment, taken aback, and then Tina felt his arms settle around her tentatively. She sighed and shut her eyes, squeezing him and enjoying the feeling of his rough coat against her cheek as Newt leaned into her slightly. She'd expected him to pull away, still not used to this much physical contact, and was relieved to find that he didn't rebuff her but rather, seemed to relax, content to accept what comfort she could offer just then. She turned her head and placed a chaste peck on the side of his jaw.

"Is it a phoenix?" she asked softly, casting her eyes up to the bird.

Newt nodded and pulled back from her embrace. He turned to the ghastly sight above them. "It's a message for Dumbledore."

"How did they even find one?" Tina frowned and cast her eyes up at the bird.

Newt's voice was harder than he intended when he said, "Credence."

The young man's heritage had been a topic of much debate, particularly when Queenie confirmed that he was learning to control his magic under Grindelwald's tuition during her debriefing. Nobody questioned that he was a wizard, but the likelihood of a lost Dumbledore son had led the authorities to doubt the validity of her claims. The fact that Grindelwald had managed to procure such a rare and untameable beast was proof of what they already knew to be true. The only thing Newt couldn't fathom was why Credence would allow Grindelwald to harm a creature in this way. He now wondered if he'd perhaps been wrong about the boy's heart.

"Aaw geez!" Jacob stood in the doorway looking up at the phoenix and the bloody message above it, his mouth wide in revulsion. "These people are crazy."

"They're monsters," Newt said darkly. He went to stand beneath the phoenix. With a few flicks of his wand, the knife, poker and glass withdrew and the phoenix floated down into his waiting arms. Newt cradled it with one hand and Tina helped him to gently wrap its wings around its body.

"Still warm," Tina said with a shiver and a small frown.

"Jacob, my case?" Newt asked.

His friend set the case down at his feet and opened it for him to descend. As his head vanished into the case, Tina and Jacob shared a mournful look over the top.

"That wasn't one o' Newt's, was it?" Jacob asked with a frown.

Tina shook her head. "No…but I don't think it matters," she replied with a sad shrug, "It hurts him no matter what creature it is."

"I saw a lotta awful things in the War, but this…these people? They're evil," Jacob said, shaking of his head.

Tina said nothing, looking back up at the message on the wall.

Cerberus came gliding into the room from the kitchen just then. Jacob took a cautious step back, but Tina held out her arm to him. "Find anything?"

The beast gave a low whistle that Tina assumed was a 'no' and ignored her arm, landing on the mantel to lick at the blood. Tina whistled sharply, trying to mimic Newt and summon him back. It was muffled and bordered on a raspberry, but the creature gave a huff and circled the room, before settling on her shoulder once more.

"There's still some meat in the icebox," Jacob offered, "Or does he only eat brains?"

Tina's brow creased, "Dunno. Newt didn't mention swooping evils in his book." She tilted her head to look at the beast. Set deep within his skull, his glowing eyes, gave her the chills and she was acutely aware that his wide wingspan had him curled around her shoulders with his teeth unnervingly close to her right ear. She felt a spike of gratitude that this particular predator was on their side and resolved to find out exactly what Newt fed him as soon as possible.

With a sigh, she tipped her head towards the staircase on the other side of the room, "Come on. Let's clear this place and get outta here. I've had enough of this city."

With a screech, Cerberus took off up the stairs, with Tina close behind him.

x x x

Grindelwald's acolytes had been thorough. As they checked each room, Theseus and Tina found their belongings scattered, mirrors smashed, linen torn and wallpaper singed and peeling. The only mirror left intact was the one on the dresser in Queenie and Tina's room, which now bore a message scrawled in dark red ink (or was it something else? she wondered with a shiver):

 _I will hear you scream again_

The script stopped Tina cold when she saw it and a whisper of pain shot through her and settled in her chest, squeezing her heart, which had suddenly begun to race. She shut her eyes and shook it off. The message could only have come from Rosier…and she would not allow herself to be thrown off balance by it.

"Tina?" Newt's voice from behind her was cautious. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and turned to find him staring past her at the message on the mirror. His eyes darted back to her and she lifted her chin defiantly, masking the slight shiver of fear that ran through her. Others would have missed it, but after years of observing his creatures, Newt immediately recognised the front for what it was and again began to suspect that they'd underestimated the consequences of the Cruciatus curse. The matter had been discussed briefly when they'd recounted the clash with Grindelwald for the authorities that morning, but Tina had assured them that her experiences were consistent with what she'd been trained to expect. President Picquery had seized the opportunity to tout the bravery and high-level training of MACUSA's Aurors and the matter had been dropped. It now occurred to Newt that less than 24 hours had passed since she'd been tortured in his name and the weight of responsibility on his shoulders became heavier.

"I won't let that happen to you again Tina," he promised. "This fight against Grindelwald and his fanatics may be far from over, but it's going to be different from now on." He stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her, both facing the mirror and its threat, and took her hand. "They've stolen too much from us, hurt too many of the people we hold dear. This fight is bigger than us, but Merlin−"

"They've made it personal," Tina finished softly. She turned her head to meet his eyes and squeezed his hand. "I know we haven't spoken about it…I was so busy looking for Queenie…but Newt, I'm sorry about Leta," she said, cautiously searching his face in case she'd overstepped. Newt cast his eyes down to her shoulder, avoiding her gaze and Tina felt her heart clench.

"I'm sorry, I−"

"She deserved better," Newt said, his jaw tight.

"She saved you. Both of you," Tina said.

There was a beat of silence and then Newt said, "That she did. Thank you, Tina. My… affection…for Leta died a long time ago, but she was… that is, my brother loves—loved—her very much. She was good. For him. And he for her." He looked up and found her eyes searching his face, deep concern pooled in their deep brown. "I don't know how Theseus is coping with her loss."

"He's protecting the people he still has left," Tina replied softly. After a pause, she explained, "After Père Lechaise, and after Leta and Queenie…when we started working together, Theseus asked me about us. You and me and…whether there was anything between us; what my intentions with you were." She gave a wry chuckle, "He was awful worried I'd hurt you. I know your relationship is complicated, but he looks out for you. Kinda like I try to do for Queenie."

Before, Newt would have snorted at this, but he now felt a flush of affection for his older brother. "And what exactly did you say your intentions for me were, Ms Goldstein?" he asked with a note of mischief in his voice.

"That you'll have to wait and see, Mr Scamander," Tina said with a wink. "Though your brother certainly approved—and as you know, older siblings always know best!"

Newt guffawed and shook his head. "I'll permit that just this once. I suspect that in this particular case, you may be right," he responded with a squeeze of her hand. When he pulled his gaze away from hers, his eyes caught a shine from the floor under the dresser and Newt bent to locate the source. He rose a moment later with Tina's locket in his hand.

"Isn't this?"

"My locket!" Tina gasped, her hand immediately flying to her chest. "Mercy Lewis, Newt. Thank goodness you found it!" She accepted the necklace with a grateful smile and immediately put it on. She gave it a squeeze. "It was our mother's. She gave it to me when they were moved to St Agatha's…not long before the end. Queenie was still too young, but I could wear it. It used to have pictures of us in it, but once I learned enough transfiguration, I changed it to our parents." She thumbed the locket open and tipped it so Newt could see the portraits inside.

"You have your father's eyes," Newt observed. While his hair was light—most likely the same shade of gold as Queenie's, Newt suspected—the man's eyes were dark and fierce. The woman opposite him had Tina's dark hair and Queenie's light eyes. She was beautiful and radiated a vivacity that Newt associated with the younger Goldstein.

"Yeah, we've both got a bit of each of them in us, only I got all the dark; Queenie got the light," Tina said wistfully. Newt caught a hint of sadness in her voice and when she snapped the locket shut, he said softly, "I'm glad you did, Tina." He paused, hesitation causing the words to stick in his throat. When Tina scoffed, he felt a surge of courage. He seized both sides of her face and met her eyes, "Because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." He punctuated these words with a gentle kiss on her forehead, then stepped back, blushing furiously, and strode from the room, simultaneously shocked and proud of his boldness.

In his wake, Tina stood with her mouth slightly open in surprise. Her hand went to her heart, closing over her mother's locket, and a small smile spread across her face as she began gathering what was left of her belongings.


	6. Chapter 6: Losing in London

A/N So, based on a rewatch of CoG, I'm not convinced that Newt's flat actually has an upstairs, given the bed in the sitting room… but as I've already ignored a few things from the end of the movie, I'm just going to pretend that it does. A lot of us ff writers have taken this liberty and darn it, I have people needing beds!

 **Losing in London**

It was nearing midnight by the time the group reached Newt's home in London. While waiting for Queenie to finish assisting the interrogation of the two acolytes they'd captured that morning, Newt had convinced Theseus to stay at his flat for the night instead of returning to the house he'd shared with Leta. Newt's flat had never been this full—he was going to have to transfigure his kitchen table larger to fit them all—but Queenie had tipped him off about his brother's mental state and Newt knew that it was what his brother needed. As a result, the girls would be sharing Newt's bedroom. Jacob and Theseus were sharing the room that was meant to be Newt's study, but which stood unused because the magizoologist's work remained in the basement menagerie.

Newt himself had chosen to sleep with his creatures. He'd missed them while away and the feeling was mutual if the cacophony of grunts, whistles and roars that greeted him when he entered was any indication. He was pleased to find his creatures in good health; Bunty had clearly done an excellent job in his absence, though he noted that the kelpie's wound had regressed and felt a pang of guilt, briefly hoping that his assistant still had all 10 fingers. Newt returned the nifflers to their home and fed Cerberus. He'd move the zhouwu from the case in the morning, once he'd set up a new habitat for the big cat when tiredness wasn't nipping at his mind.

Satisfied that all was well with his beasts, Newt returned upstairs and found Jacob seated at the kitchen table while Tina and Queenie moved awkwardly around the kitchen, clearly out of their usual habitat.

"All settled honey?" Queenie asked. Newt nodded. He'd told them to behave as if this was already their home—and it would be for the next while—but Newt still found it strange to have others preparing food in his kitchen. Strange, Newt thought as he watched his kettle float from the stove to Tina's waiting hand, but also good.

"Have a seat. Your brother's gone up to bed already, but Teen and me are fixing something to eat," Queenie flicked her wand and the chair nearest Newt slid out. He settled into it with a sigh. Without a word, Tina turned from the kitchen counter and placed a steaming cup of tea before him on the table. She cast him a small smile before returning to the counter.

"Thank you," Newt said. He took a careful sip of the hot liquid and sighed. Just as he liked it. _How on earth did she know?_ he wondered.

At the counter, Queenie giggled. "Aurors notice things," she said, winking at him over her shoulder. Beside her Tina frowned and raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"What are you making?" Newt asked, leaning slightly to see what they were doing.

"Just sandwiches," Tina said.

"There ain't much in the cupboards, but Jacob brought a loaf from the Paris house and Teen and me are good at making something outta not much," Queenie said proudly. She cast a smile at Tina, who returned it, then shot a glance over her shoulder at Newt with a small frown. Beside her, Queenie tutted, "Don't be silly Teenie. Newt would never think that."

"Don't read my mind," Tina muttered half-heartedly. It'd become an automatic response to Queenie's inadvertent reads, even though both knew that nothing would change.

"Excuse me, but what would I never think?" Newt asked. He paused with his tea cup half way to his mouth. Tina cast a warning look at Queenie, who shrugged back at her. Tina huffed a sigh and turned to face Newt and Jacob.

"It's nothing. I just thought, well, things were tough for us for a while before Queenie found work at MACUSA. Everything we inherited from our parents was kept in a trust until I was 25 and as orphans, we didn't have a lot. It was…well, it made us stronger. Adaptable–"

"Good at makin' sandwiches," Queenie grinned and a plate piled high with warm toasted sandwiches floated to the table and she sat down beside Jacob.

"And that," Tina conceded. "I– I just didn't want you to think less of m—us, knowing where we came from." Tina flicked her wand and four plates flew from the counter to the table. She followed them, settling across from Queenie and studiously avoided Newt's gaze.

"I assure you, Tina, that's not the case at all," Newt said. "Queenie is right. I would never think less of you."

"Yeah," Jacob added, "You two are the best thing that's ever happened to us lucky schmos!"

"Dig in honey," Queenie gestured to the plate of sandwiches. "There's corned beef and mustard on that side and Teen's favourite PB an' A over here. We made some with jam too. Oh, wasn't it just the berries to have jam again after the war?"

"Oh yeah! What's a donut without jam?" Jacob agreed, helping himself to a sandwich from the corned beef side of the plate. Beside him, Newt reached for peanut butter and was surprised to find a pale-yellow slice of something that we definitely not jam between the peanut butter and warm bread.

"What is this?" he asked, turning his sandwich for the others to see.

"Apple, silly!" Queenie explained, "PB and A! When we was kids, Tina hated apples, but we got loads o' them from our neighbour's uncle's orchard. She'd only eat 'em with peanut butter, so our Pa used to make her peanut butter and apple sandwiches to get her to eat something wholesome. Now it's her favourite!"

Beside her, Tina shrugged and Jacob chuckled. "I was the same with carrots. Hated the damn things. My grandma had to chop 'em real small and hide 'em in lasagne," he said with a reminiscent smile.

When Queenie responded with a story about porridge at Ilvermorny, Newt gave a contented sigh and took another sip of his tea, feeling some of his strength returning. He cast a grateful smile at Tina, who winked in response and took a sip from her own cup. Beside her, Jacob and Queenie were oblivious, deep in conversation about the foods they loved growing up while Newt and Tina sat silent, both content to listen and eat. In some ways, it was so much like their first night together and yet, also completely different. This night bore the weight of shared experience—of camaraderie and new love—and a shared lightness that they all felt at finally having a 'normal' conversation after a stressful day. It was a moment of peace in the maelstrom.

After a few minutes, the conversation turned to Jacob and Newt's journey to Paris. Queenie was rapt, her heart with bubbling with a contented mix of tiredness and joy—both hers and that of her companions, which seeped into her mind as she relaxed. As they listened to Jacob's account of their covert departure from England, she felt his hand grasp hers under the table. She gave it an affectionate squeeze and their eyes met for a brief moment of shared _knowing_ before Jacob's gaze went back to Newt and Tina as he continued.

Queenie followed his eyes. Across the table from her, Newt wore a small smile, his eyes on his teacup as he chewed slowly and listened. He occasionally glanced over at Tina to gauge her reaction to details or nodded his head in agreement with Jacob, but largely remained quiet. Queenie felt relief from the magizoologist opposite her; he was happy, and glad to be home.

Beside him, Tina took small bites of her sandwich, listening to the tale with one ear, while the rest of her mind circled the fact that Newt's decision to defy his travel ban and sneak over the Channel to Paris was made because of her. Underneath the weariness that had settled over her sister as the day wore on, Queenie felt a growing excitement—the tentative hope and anticipation of new love. She herself knew it well, having spent the first few weeks of her relationship with Jacob practically swimming in the possibilities her mind conjured for their future.

Her mind returned to his. While Newt's thoughts had an earthiness about them and Tina's were changeable as the sea, Jacob's mind was steady and felt like home: like his voice, it bore the faint smokiness of a wood fire and the sweetness of honey and melted butter on warm bread. Queenie could listen to Jacob for hours and allowed herself to be drawn back to his mind as Newt took over narrating the story. She was enjoying Jacob's photographic memory of Newt's tracking charm in the square when her mind snagged on other thoughts nearby…loud, fierce and filled with malice, Queenie couldn't make out the words, but there were undercut by the sense of decaying–

"Roses…" Queenie said suddenly, her brow creased.

"Queenie?" Tina asked, "What's–"

Queenie's eyes snapped up in panic. "Rosier! She's here!" She seized Jacob's hand and pulled him to his feet, dragging him towards the basement door. "You have to hide!" As she drew him down the stairs, she reached out with her mind and hit the obsidian wall of Grindelwald's conscious. Ice ran down her spine. _How had he found them?!_

Back in the kitchen, Newt and Tina were on their feet immediately. He pulled his wand and spun towards the stairs to wake Theseus. Behind him, Tina gasped and he turned only to find her standing motionless beside the table.

"Newt! I can't move!" she cried, her eyes filled with horror, frozen in place, wand in hand. Still in place over her heart, Tina's locket glowed a menacing orange and Newt felt his heart sink. _Of course. Of bloody course they'd curse the thing she loved most._

Behind Tina, the front door flew open and Newt immediately flung a series of hexes that were rapidly deflected by Grindelwald, who strode in as if the house were his own. Newt held his own until Grindelwald reached to the side with his hand and the kettle of boiled water flung itself at Newt. He ducked and, in that moment, was knocked back against the counter. Winded, he rose to find Grindelwald's wand fixed on him. Beside him, Rosier stood with her wand raised, its tip glowing the same shade of orange as Tina's pendant. The Goldsteins' former boss—Abenathy, was it?—brought up the rear.

"Here we are again, Newton," Grindelwald said with a glint of anticipation in his mismatched eyes.

"Not breaking our windows this time then?" Newt bit out, glaring at the intruders.

"No reason to kick up a fuss," The dark wizard shrugged. "I'm simply here to offer you one final opportunity to return what is mine. I must say, I thought that when my friends called in to your home in Paris this morning, we'd lost our last opportunity. But then you left the house empty and unguarded all day. Even when dear Ms Rosier told me she'd enchanted Ms Goldstein's locket with both a tracking and an immobilisation charm, I thought the extra weight would give away the game." His eyes roamed over Tina, who glared, still stuck in place. "I admit: I expected more from an Auror of your calibre, but then I suppose some of your kind do toss caution to the wind when sentimentality is involved. Did you even check it before you put it on?"

Across the table from Newt, Tina vibrated with rage, but in her frozen state she did and said nothing. It was a foolish mistake and she hated herself for it. Grindelwald was right. She hadn't even paused to consider why, when so many of their things had been wrecked, her locket had been left whole. This was her fault. She'd led them right here—to Queenie, to Newt's home—to Newt's creatures! Had she been able to move, Tina would have slumped with grief. Instead, she remained frozen under Rosier's spell.

Grindelwald turned back to Newt. "So, Mr Scamander, the only person missing from our tête-à-tête is dear Queenie. Tell me, where is she? Her poor judgement has been such an inconvenience."

Newt said nothing, mentally screaming at Queenie to stay hidden in the basement. He forced his eyes to stay focused on the floor and not dart towards the basement door behind his left shoulder.

Grindelwald sighed and gestured to Tina with his wand, "Have you not learned anything from yesterday, Mr Scamander? I can kill her with a thought. I can make you both scream until you beg to do my will. Fortunately for you, I value wizarding blood, even that of a half-breed. I am not a monster. So, I put it to you: return my vial or truly, I will have no choice but to kill you all, starting with Ms Goldstein here."

"I don't have it," Newt declared. "And you will never find it."

Ignoring his words, Grindelwald frowned. "Yes, I expected as much from you. Too much time spent with Dumbledore, no doubt. Unlike you, I have learned from our last encounter. Although it pleases us, Ms Goldstein's pain has not proved useful in motivating you. So, perhaps something different this time?" He raised is wand at Tina, " _Imperio._ "

Newt's eyes darted to Tina, who didn't move. She glared at the dark wizard, gritting her teeth and downstairs, Queenie sensed the crashing of waves of sea water against solid obsidian. Grindelwald was pressing down on her sister's mind, but it was strong, moulded by her Auror training, and Queenie felt a spark of hope.

Grindelwald frowned and then raised an eyebrow at Tina in surprise. "No?" he asked.

"No," she spat out, defiant.

"MACUSA trains 'em to throw off the Imperius curse, sir," Abenathy explained. Tina's eyes darted at him and narrowed. _Traitor!_

"Well, I suppose we should expect nothing less," Grindelwald sighed. He cocked his head to the side, "I will not be denied. Perhaps a little push?" He turned to Rosier, who gave a wicked smile and stepped forward.

"Did you receive my message?" she asked Tina. "Your treatment of me at your home in Paris was appalling. No way to repay the kindness I showed your sister—or Monsieur Grindelwald's mercy in le jardin."

"Really? After you manipulated my sister and attacked my—Newt," Tina broke off, not sure what exactly he was to her. "I'm only disappointed I didn't leave a permanent mark," Tina finished with venom and steel in her voice. "Must have sacred you if you think you have to do this," She cast her eyes down at the locket holding her in place and Newt was suddenly transported back to the previous morning and the other Tina, the bloody-faced witch who'd mercilessly blasted the French woman into the ceiling for hurting him. She stood before him again now and he blinked at her, simultaneously delighted and horrified that she had the gall to challenge the acolyte when she was at her mercy.

"Filthy _dégénéré…Crucio_!" Rosier's face twisted into a cruel smile as Tina fell to her knees. The orange glow of the necklace faded, releasing her, but Tina had no control of her body, which shrieked with agony, muscles spasming. Her breath came out in pants, but she clenched her teeth and refused to scream, determined not to make Rosier's threat a reality.

With an approving smile, Grindelwald raised his wand, "Let's try again, shall we?"

"No!" Newt cried. _Stupefy!_ He flung the spell at Grindelwald but jumped back with a yelp when a hex from Abenathy hit the floor at his feet. The spell went wild, roasting a lamp shade on the coffee table. Beside it, the American leered at Newt, daring him to try again, outnumbered as he was.

In the other side of the table, Grindelwald chuckled, turned his attention back to Tina, " _Imperio_."

Tina's body froze, her will no longer her own. Sensing success, Rosier reluctantly lowered her wand and moved back to stand behind Grindelwald. As she passed, the dark wizard gave her a nod of approval, "Merci amour."

Newt watched in horror as Tina now rose shakily to her feet, panting, and crossed the distance to stand before Grindelwald.

"Tina?" Newt called, hoping that it hadn't worked—that she was pretending to catch Grindelwald off guard. She ignored him and looked up at the dark wizard.

Grindelwald took her free hand and ran his wand along her palm, materialising a dagger the length of her forearm. He closed her fingers around its hilt and nodded at her. Tina turned to face Newt, the weapon raised.

"If you will not tell me where you've hidden my vial, tell me: where is the other Miss Goldstein?" Grindelwald turned his attention back to Newt and Tina took a step forward.

"Tina won't hurt me," Newt said with certainty. "It doesn't matter what you've done to her, she wouldn't. No even under the Imperius curse; she's stronger than that." His eyes met Tina's and although her gaze was distant, she paused and the arm holding the dagger began to tremble slightly.

Abenathy let loose a snort and Grindelwald frowned at Newt, "My dear boy, who said anything about harming you?"

"What? … No!" The horror of realisation burst across Newt's face as Tina plunged the dagger down and into her left thigh. Her body shuddered and she choked down a pained sob until Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, willing her to silence, and she stilled. The only sign that she could feel anything was the inadvertent quivering of her lower lip and shorter breathing.

With a howl of anger, Queenie suddenly burst from the basement, hurling a curse at Abenathy. The traitorous American hit the floor, unconscious but Grindelwald only laughed. Newt turned to look at the woman beside him and from the corner of his eye, he noticed Jacob just inside the basement doorway, hidden. With an imperceptible shake of his head, Newt urged the other man to stay back.

"Aah, there you are Queenie dear. I wondered how much pain it would take to lure you out," he said, flashing his eyes towards Tina. Queenie glared at her fallen hero.

"Let my sister go," she hissed, "You ain't gonna get anything from us! I already told the Ministry everything."

Queenie reached out with her mind, lunging over the sickly roses of Rosier's conscious and straight for the obsidian fortress, searching for the crack. But she found none. She pushed harder, nimble mental fingers running over the surface but like silk sliding off marble, her mind could find no purchase on his and Queenie frowned.

Grindelwald gave her a sly smile, tapping the side of his head with his wand, "There will be none of that this time, my dear." While his smile was smug, a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. Queenie shut her eyes, doubling her efforts and slamming her mind against his.

Keeping his wand trained on Rosier, Newt's eyes darted between Grindelwald and Tina. The latter was blinking rapidly and Newt wondered if the mental strain of resisting Queenie was weakening Grindelwald's hold over Tina. Across from him, Rosier had noticed as well. He saw her eyes move between the two and over Queenie to him. They narrowed slightly and Newt suddenly realised that they were focused not on him, but behind him.

"Stop!" Rosier addressed Queenie directly.

Queenie's eyes opened and she glanced at the other woman. "No," she said through gritted teeth. In her mind, she still couldn't find a crack, but she could feel the walls straining under her will. By this point, most of the others she'd read would be crying in pain, but Grindelwald was no ordinary wizard and this time, she hadn't caught him by surprise. She focused on Tina's pain and the muffled screaming of her sister's consciousness trapped behind the obsidian walls and channelled her pain to push harder against her adversary's mind. Before her, Grindelwald's drew in a quick breath, sweat beginning to bead along his hairline. When Rosier took a step forward and raised her wand, his hand rose to tell her to stand down. Clearly, the dark wizard intended this as a show of his might. His eyes flew around the room, settling briefly on Tina before passing over Newt to the basement door. A slow smile spread across his face. "You cannot win this, Queenie. All I want is to have the vial returned to me," he said smoothly, "Retrieve its location from Mr Scamander's mind and I'll let your sister live."

Queen's eyes flashed to Tina, who stood still, panic in her eyes and a glimmer of blood running down the front of her left leg. She said nothing and Grindelwald continued.

"Please, my dear Queenie. Have you forgotten our cause so soon? Who will fight for our freedom if not me? Do it. Help me retrieve what is rightfully mine and I'll even let you keep your pet."

As he spoke, Newt's eyes caught movement behind him and he reacted immediately—and in the same second that Rosier moved. They acted as one, curse and shield charm flying simultaneously. His charm deflected her assault, but when he raised his wand to counter attack, he heard Tina's voice and his wand flew from his grasp. Behind him, the basement door banged wide and Jacob was dragged into the room at Rosier's will, his toes dragging lightly along the floor and his eyes wide in panic.

He came to a halt beside Tina, who raised her wand and at Grindelwald's unspoken behest, whispered, " _Immobulus._ " Her wand tip glowed and Jacob froze. Satisfied, Rosier turned her attention back to Newt, training her wand on him once more.

"No! Jacob!" Queenie gasped, horrified. Her assault on Grindelwald's mind dropped away immediately and the dark wizard fixed her with a smug smile. His eyes darted to Newt.

"Really, Mr Scamander. Allowing vermin into your home," he mocked with a shake of his head. He fixed Newt and Queenie with a hard look, deadly serious. "Now, tell me where it is. Or dear Porpentina will kill them both."

Newt said nothing, his mind spinning, and he glanced at Queenie. They were trapped again, the people they loved most at the mercy of their worst enemy. A frown of frustration wrinkled Queenie's brow and she bit her lip, clearly thinking hard.

There was a beat of silence and Queenie said, "Release them."

"Tell me where my vial is."

Grindelwald looked at Tina. With a barely suppressed gasp of pain, she pulled the dagger from her thigh. Blood immediately flowed down the front of her leg and she awkwardly shifted her weight. Her eyes fluttered briefly and she blinked rapidly for a few seconds, fighting unconsciousness.

"Now," Grindelwald said when she straightened, "On with it."

With a glance at Queenie, Tina turned and placed the knife against the side of Jacob's neck.

"Whoa! Tina! What're you–?" the no-maj yelled in panic.

Grindelwald clicked his tongue and shook his head in pity, "Silly _non-magique_. Her will is mine."

"You sick bastard," Jacob spat out, unable to move but equal parts furious and afraid.

"No!" Queenie gasped; the intensity of Jacob's fear made her head ache.

Grindelwald raised an eyebrow at her and looked back at Tina. Her lip was quivering again and Queenie could hear his sister screaming in pain and frustration inside her head, mentally pounding against the dark wizard's will. But like Rosier's Cruciatus curse, the pain from her leg was a distraction and Tina couldn't summon enough mental fortitude to throw the curse off. She paused, the knife hovering against Jacob's skin.

"Do it," Grindelwald hissed. Queenie felt him press his consciousness onto Tina's, suffocating her will.

"No! C'mon Tina! Don't do this! It's me!" Jacob pleaded, his eyes darting to her in fear.

"Teenie, no!" Queenie cried in desperation, her mind reeling. "Stop!"

A tear of rebellion ran down the Auror's cheek and she leaned into the knife. Blood appeared around the tip as it entered and Jacob gave a gasp of pain. His eyes locked with Queenie's. He stood tall—Jacob Kowalski was no coward—but she could hear his mind brimming with fear regardless. He was going to die, but he knew she could hear him. _I love you baby!_ He thought furiously. _Don't give him what he wants! I love you Queenie, so much!_

Queenie's heart twisted, wrenched between her sister's battle for control and the terror of the man she loved. Beside her, Newt looked on in horror, mentally cursing himself for letting his guard down and returning Cerberus to his usual habitat. Queenie heard him mentally going over the forbidden curses and how they could be resisted, but he found no answers. He could do nothing.

"Stop," Queenie's voice was a whisper. Tina froze and Queenie looked from her sister to Grindelwald.

"I don't know where it is," she cast a glance at Newt beside her, "But if I get its location for you, you'll let Tina and Jacob go?"

Grindelwald tried to mask a triumphant smile and Queenie felt a wave of disgust at his obvious satisfaction, "Of course my dear. As I said to Mr Scamander here, I do not wish to waste wizard blood unnecessarily."

"Promise me you won't hurt them." She gestured to Rosier, "That _she_ won't hurt them!"

"You have my word," Grindelwald replied.

"Queenie, no!" Newt's face was panicked when she turned towards him.

"I'm sorry Newt," she said sadly. "Teen and Jacob are my family. I can't lose them."

"Queen! Don't!" Jacob called, "There's gotta be another way!"

She shook her head sadly and fixed Newt with a steady gaze.

"Queenie…" Newt stepped back, shaking his head.

"Do it!" Grindelwald commanded.

Newt winced and threw up every mental barrier he had. He braced for pain but instead, felt cool silk running cross his mind. Red balloons, summer sunshine and the fizz of lemonade. In his mind, Queenie's voice whispered, _Pretend_.

As if a ghost watching his own life, in his mind's eye, Newt saw himself clutching his head on the floor at Queenie's feet, begging for mercy. In reality, he frowned at Queenie, confused. She frowned back meaningfully and Newt felt a mental pinch that had him blinking in pain.

 _Newt!_ Queenie's voice snapped in his head. _Fake it!_ The image of himself on the floor reappeared and realisation dawned. A moment later, he scrunched his face in pain and gasped.

"No! Queenie, please…stop!" he groaned, hands going to his head. In anticipation, Grindelwald stepped past Jacob and Tina, victorious anticipation shining from his pale face as he towered over Newt's hunching form.

"That's it, Queenie!" he said, his full attention on her "Don't hold back. Think of your Jacob! Where did he hide it?"

Behind him, Tina blinked. Sunshine was suddenly shining through the darkness enveloping her mind; the familiar summer delights of Queenie's consciousness touching hers. She saw them as children, playing on the beach at Coney Island with their parents, building sandcastles and drinking lemonade in the warm sunshine. The throbbing in her leg was gone, replaced by the tickle of sand as they laughed and buried their father's toes while he lay reading beside their mother. It was one of her happiest memories and Tina's eyes melted shut as she revelled in its recollection.

 _Tina_ , Queenie's voice rang in her mind, _Come back to us Teenie!_

Tina felt a surge of happiness burst in her chest at the memory, bringing new strength that pooled in her heart. In her mind, she gathered herself and began to force her way through the oppressive darkness, slowly pulling out of Grindelwald's grasp. It was like stepping into a fresh snowy morning from the stifling heat of a stuffy house, like breaking through the surface of a frozen lake and taking that first gasp of life-giving air. Behind Grindelwald, Tina blinked again and flexed her fingers around her wand.

Beside her, Jacob suddenly felt the feeling return to his body. He glanced at Tina and found her wand no longer glowing and her eyes searching his, their normal intensity blazing at him once more. Her eyes darted down the knife in her hand and understanding blossomed. Slowly, she moved her hand back, withdrawing the knife so that only the tip rested against his neck. She cast a glance at Grindelwald, who stood with his back still turned, his eyes fixed on Newt, who had sunk down to the floor and was sweating visibly and moaning theatrically.

Jacob blinked at Tina and they moved as one. Around them, the room seemed to slow. Jacob snatched the knife from her hand as she turned on Rosier. White light burst from Tina's wand and knocked the French witch sideways. Jacob took two strides forward and slammed the dagger into Grindelwald's back. Rosier hit the wall and fell to her hands and knees, gasping for breath. Not finished, the no-maj withdrew the weapon and embedded it in the dark wizard's right kidney. From her position on the floor, Rosier looked on in horror as Grindelwald slid to his knees, shock across his face. Tina raised her wand, but dizziness rolled over her and she wavered. Jacob took a step back, winding up a punch. With a crack, Rosier was across the room with her arms around Grindelwald. Tina's curse missed and exploded the skirting, which shattered into splinters. A heartbeat later, Rosier disapparated with Grindelwald in tow and Jacob swung at the air where they'd been moments before.

Time sped up again and Queenie surged forward to wrap her arms around Jacob. Newt rolled to his feet, dashing to retrieve his wand.

"Jacob! Oh honey! That was amazing!" Queenie cried, peppering his cheeks with kisses. His thoughts sang love for her and Queenie detected a thread of pride at his finally not feeling helpless. "I'm so proud of you!" she cooed, squeezing him again.

"I'll give him _non-magique_!" Jacob mocked. "I didn't survive the war because o' my pretty face."

Queenie grinned at him and pulled him in for a kiss, only to find her left hand covered in blood from his neck wound, which to her relief was relatively shallow and had missed his jugular. She gently ran her wand over it with a whispered ' _Episkey'_ to seal the skin before returning to his lips.

"Thanks doll," Jacob said, drawing her in for a kiss.

Behind them, Tina's smile at Jacob's triumph faded as darkness pulsed on the edges of her vision and she frowned. With Queenie's presence gone from her mind, her leg was throbbing and the fingers around her wand had gone numb. She felt it slip from her hand and glanced down at the small pool of blood around her right foot. Ripples of pain from Rosier's curse ran up her chest and pooled at the base of her skull. With a muffled sob of pain that caught in her throat, she sank to the floor and slumped against the wall. A moment later, Newt skidded to his knees in front of her.

"Tina! Stay with me," he cried. She blinked at him as nausea rushed through her and her vision narrowed.

"You've lost too much blood. I have to put pressure on it." He clamped his hand down on her leg and Tina shrieked with pain at the contact, biting her bottom lip so hard that it bled. Stars burst in front of her eyes and Queenie spun around with a yelp, "Tina!"

 _Dittany!_ Newt's mind called as he summoned a tea towel to replace his hand, now slick with the blood seeping between his fingers. Queenie saw his mental image of its location on the medicine bench in the menagerie clearly and scrambled for the basement stairs. Aware of Tina's consciousness receding, and the anguish in Newt's voice as he swore, Queenie stopped on the first landing and wildly pointed her wand downwards into the room.

" _Accio_ dittany!"

The fresh sea breeze was fading from her mind and by the time the bottle flew into her hand and she darted up the stairs to the kitchen, Tina was unconscious and Newt was hollering at Jacob to fetch the blood replenishing potion from the menagerie.

A/N Hope you enjoyed; please review if you did :)


	7. Chapter 7: Downtime

A/N If you're still reading, welcome back!

And if, like me, you need a refresher after such a looooooong time without updates:

When we last saw our heroes, Grindelwald, Rosier and Abenathy had followed them to Newt's home in London. Abenathy went down early but after disarming Newt and using the Cruciatus curse to imperious Tina, Grindelwald used her to take Jacob hostage and tried to use him to force Queenie to use her legilimency on Newt to find the blood pact. What a mess. But Queenie is brilliant, so she actually used it to help Tina throw off Grindelwald's Imperious curse and once she was free, Tina gave Jacob the knife she'd been using to hold him hostage and he went to town on Grindelwald, who was too busy watching Newt pretend to be resisting Queenie's mental probing. Tina took down Rosier, but couldn't finish the job because she was wounded and so Rosier escaped, taking a grievously wounded dark wizard with her. Jacob saved the day and Tina blacked out.

Ta da! Welcome to Chapter 7! (please don't hate me)

 **Downtime**

"Wait, Newt. She's comin' round."

 _Queenie?_

Tina woke to rough hands on her face and the taste of beets, iron and dirt on her tongue. The hands fell away when she frowned and swallowed, running her tongue along the roof of her mouth and moaning plaintively when the taste lingered. She tensed to roll over to find water, but a warm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Easy Tina. Don't move just yet," Newt's voice was soothing and Tina froze.

"Newt?" She opened her eyes to find Newt and Queenie on either side of her, concern creasing their brows. She looked around and found herself in a red brick alcove just off a huge room with a ceiling at least two stories high. She was lying on a small cot in the corner and the room immediately beyond was what looked to be part laboratory, part kitchen, filled with shelves of bottles and various potion equipment. The place smelled of hay and pine, with undertones of animal droppings and the earthy spice that she'd come to associate with Newt.

"Where are we?" Tina asked, her eyes darting around the room. She noted that a light wool blanket had been draped over her and Newt held a vial of dark red liquid.

"My menagerie," Newt explained. "This was hardly how I planned to show it to you but my medical supplies are all down here."

Tina shifted to look and froze with a hiss when hot pain seized her left thigh.

"It's probably best if you don't move yet. It's going to be painful until I can make up some willow bark extract," Newt said apologetically. "It seems my assistant used the last of it while we were in Paris."

Tina remembered it now, the suddenness of Grindelwald's arrival, the twisting agony of the Cruciatus curse–again–and Grindelwald seizing her control, forcing her to stab herself, to capture and almost kill Jacob. All in the name of manipulating Newt because he thought Newt still had the blood pact. All made possible because they'd cursed her locket and used it to track them to England and then render her helpless, useless to defend the people she loved. She'd been used. Tina's heart clenched.

 _Oh Morrigan…_ she thought.

Shame settled over Tina and she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, on the verge of tears. A heaviness that made it difficult to breathe in again settled in her chest. It was entirely her fault. She'd led them here…to Queenie…to Newt…to Newt's home—to Newt's creatures! And worse, she'd been subdued like a helpless child, all because she was blindly attached to her locket. How could she have been so stupid?! Fury clenched Tina's heart and she let out a shuddering breath. Her right hand went to her locket, where it lay cold on her chest and she pulled it off, ready to hurl it across the room.

Hearing her sister's thoughts, Queenie seized Tina's fist and squeezed it gently to stop her.

"Shh, Teen," Queenie said with a gentle shake of her head. "Don't. We're alright. We're right here and we're all fine."

Newt's eyes darted between them as he realised that Queenie was reacting to her sister's thoughts. Guilt raced through him. Of course, he thought, she's in pain again. He'd given her the locket. He'd said that he'd never let her be tortured with the Cruciatus curse again—and it had happened, not two days after he'd promised to protect her! Grindelwald was right; he hadn't learned from the night before. How could he expect her to ever forgive him?

Newt couldn't meet her eyes, but he placed a gentle hand on Tina's shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Tina. I promised you both shelter in this house and I failed. I couldn't protect you."

Tina's eyes widened in shock and her mouth dropped open, "No Newt, I'm sorry! I was so stupid! I led them right here and I was so…useless!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Queenie interrupted. She looked between them reprovingly and huffed. "You both need to stop blamin' yourselves. This wasn't your fault. We're all fine."

"But–" Newt and Tina started at the same time.

"No buts!" Queenie snapped firmly. "Newt, it ain't your job to protect us. We're big girls; we can take care of ourselves. And Teen, you said they wrecked the whole house. How were you supposed to know she'd cursed your locket too?"

She had a point and both Newt and Tina paused their self-flagellation. Conceding the point, Tina opened her fist and released the locket onto the mattress. She wouldn't hurl it across the room, but the thought of touching it right now made her skin crawl.

But Queenie wasn't finished yet. "Besides," she continued, dropping her head to look at her hands, "the only reason she did it is because I told her how important it is to you. On that first awful day in Paris. She gave me tea and asked me 'bout my family. I was so stupid, babbling on about how you're this big-time Auror and how proud our folks'd be if they was here, and how you carry ma's locket with you to keep them close… So if anybody should be sayin' sorry, it's me."

She looked up at them sadly and Tina grasped her hand.

"You couldn't have known she'd do this, Queenie. You didn't even know who she was," Tina said softly.

"Of course, Queenie," Newt added, "there's nothing to apologise for."

"Yeah? Well okay then. If you can forgive me, you can do the same for yourselves," Queenie said.

"I guess we've all made mistakes," Newt conceded. "Except Jacob. I think his actions tonight have bought us time."

"Oh! Jacob!" Tina gasped. She squeezed Queenie's hand. "Is he okay? I tried to stop Queenie. I tried so hard but he was too strong and… it hurt… so much. I couldn't–" She looked away in shame. None of her fellow Aurors-in-training had succeeded in imperiousing Tina during her training—and none in MACUSA had been able to do it after she graduated from the program. Until tonight, she'd been justifiably proud of her willpower. "If you hadn't helped me Queenie, I would've–" her voice hitched and she stopped, suddenly unable to finish the thought.

"No, Teenie. You wouldn't have," Queenie shook her head. "And you didn't. You beat his curse."

"No, I wasn't strong enough," Tina said. "I couldn't—not without you! But Queenie, how did you do it? You were in Newt's mind and mine at the same time…?"

Queenie chuckled and shook her head, "Nah, Mr Scamander here is a super actor, is all."

She gave Newt a wink, "Maybe you should be in the pictures, honey!" Newt blushed a fiery pink and Queenie grinned before turning back to Tina. She quickly explained her idea to have Newt pretend that she was probing his mind to distract the dark wizard while she used her legilimency to help Tina focus long enough to throw off the Imperious curse.

As she listened, Tina's heart flushed with pride at her little sister's cunning. It had saved the day—again—and she quietly considered Queenie with new perspective. The woman beside her seemed somehow older, more mature than the bubbly, albeit sulking, sister she'd left behind in New York. Back then, they hadn't been speaking; Tina was hellbent on protecting her sister from the law and Queenie, young, impulsive and (Tina now realised) dizzyingly deep in love, was determined to be with Jacob. But the events of the last 10 days had changed that and Tina felt a stab of sadness at her sister's forced maturation.

"Thank goodness for you two," she said. She looked at Newt, "You saved the day."

"I think you'll find that it was a group effort," Newt said with a small smile. "You and Jacob played no small part in this."

Queenie nodded, "Yeah, I had no plan after getting you outta his curse, Teen. After what happened last night, I figured alls I had to do was set you loose and you'd fix the rest—and you did!"

"Jacob did! Where is he?" Tina asked.

"Upstairs with Theseus, keeping an eye on Abenathy," Queenie said.

"The Ministry's sending Aurors to question him and then escort him to Azkaban," Newt said. "They're also sending a healer from St Mungo's to examine your leg."

Tina frowned, "Why?".

"It's bad Teen. We had to bring you down here to fix you up. Newt managed to stop the bleedin' but it's still gonna take a while to heal," Queenie explained, looking down at Tina's leg.

Under the blanket, Tina tentatively ran her hand from her waist down her left leg. She froze mid-thigh when her pants suddenly ended in a ragged edge and her fingers grazed an inch of skin before meeting the coarse cotton of a bandage. She cast wide eyes from her sister to Newt, already blushing furiously at the expanse of skin she realised Newt must have seen. Blushing, the magizoologist scrambled to explain himself.

"We had to cut them Tina. You lost a lot of blood in a short time and they were, well, they were soaked in it. The wound was deep; worse than an ordinary dose of dittany could fix. I had to…take further measures," Newt glanced at Queenie for backup.

"There was so much blood Teenie! And Newt couldn't see to fix the wound—but don't worry, it's only one leg and I'm gonna fix you a new pair as soon as you're back on your feet!"

"Please be assured Tina that your modesty was preserved," Newt said awkwardly. "It was really just for me to tend the wound."

"It's fine," Tina said, her flaming cheeks belying her calm words, "but…it can't be that bad. What did you have to do?" Tina asked, lightly running her fingers over the bandage. A ripple of pain ran up her leg when her fingers brushed the area above the wound and she pulled them back.

"I suspect the knife was enchanted in some way; I've never seen a wound like this bleed so much," Newt said. "Nevertheless, it was clearly not poisoned because I was able to stop the bleeding eventually. I learned basic field medicine during the war; it proved quite useful during my year abroad. The healing properties of dittany can be enhanced if it's mixed with murtlap essence and unicorn hair, so I stitched the wound closed as best I could and applied a unicorn hair compress soaked in the mixture. It should hold until a more accomplished healer can examine you."

"Thank you," Tina said. She caught Newt's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was a strange new feeling to have someone care for her in this way—to have someone other than Queenie _concerned_ about her—but it also left a warmth in her heart that made her breath catch slightly in the back of her through when she said, "How long was I out for?"

"'Bout an hour," Queenie said. "You were shivering somethin' terrible Teen." A note of fear crept into her voice and Tina didn't need her sister's ability to know that she'd scared her. Queenie knew about what happened to Aurors in the field, but had never witnessed the immediate aftermath firsthand. By the time Queenie saw her after a bad tussle, Tina'd usually seen a healer already.

"You were in hypovolemic shock for a while," Newt explained. "Some blood replenishing potion fixed the worst of it, but there's still a way to go, which reminds me: are you able to sit up?" He indicated the vial of red liquid in his free hand. "We were just trying to give you the next dose."

Tina nodded. She gingerly brought her hands to her sides to push herself up. As soon as she lifted her torso, white-hot pain shot from her fingertips and toes and ran the length of her body, finally smashing into her heart and shooting up to her head and bursting her eyes. Tina squeezed her eyes shut and took a ragged breath, falling back onto the pillow.

"Oh Teenie," Queenie gasped in concern.

"'s okay," Tina groaned as she used her right leg to push herself up against the back of the cot.

Newt place an extra pillow behind her back and cast Queenie a worried look over the top of Tina's head.

 _It's aftershocks from the torture curse again_ , she projected into his mind.

 _It seems worse than before_ , he thought as he met her eyes and tipped his head to the side in query.

 _It is_ , she confirmed. Like before, her sister's mind was whirling with pain and her heart ached to make it stop.

Tina noticed the looks between them and realised immediately what was happening. She opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the staircase that led down into the huge space.

"Newt?" Theseus called. "Professor Dumbledore is here. And Healer Woodhouse from St Mungo's."

Moments later, he reached the bottom of the stairs and came into view, followed closely by the professor in question and an older witch in a thick tweed coat who carried a medical bag. Newt handed the potion to Queenie and went to greet them. The healer nodded a greeting to Newt and went past him to Tina.

"Newt," Dumbledore said warmly.

"Dumbledore," Newt nodded.

"How is she?" Theseus asked, looking past Newt to Tina.

"Awake now. And better," Newt said. "In pain, but better."

"Glad to hear it. Well done little brother. I'm going with Barker to take Abenathy in," Theseus said. "Smith and Whitehead are upstairs. They will stay for the rest of the night; I've asked them to keep an eye on things until we move to a safer location."

"I'm not leaving my creatures," Newt said firmly, frowning.

"It's not safe here Newt," Theseus said.

Newt's eyes drifted to Dumbledore and he replied sullenly, "Nowhere is."

Theseus sighed and failed to stifle a wide yawn, "Now you're just being dramatic. We'll discuss this when I get back." He nodded to Dumbledore, "Professor."

Dumbledore inclined his head and gave a small smile, "Theseus."

He turned back to find Newt staring at his feet and chewing the inside of his cheek, clearly agitated. Newt met his gaze.

"It's two o'clock in the morning, Dumbledore…why are you here?" he asked irritably.

Dumbledore was taken aback, not used to this side of his former student.

"Theseus contacted me. Newt, I'm so sorry. When I brought you into this, I did not believe that Grindelwald would realise your involvement. I had no idea of the lengths to which he'd go to pursue you so directly," he said. "He obviously didn't realise you'd already returned the pact to me."

"No, he didn't," Newt kept his eyes down, angry.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

Newt looked up, "Because Grindelwald discards what he cannot use. And both times, Tina was… he had…," he paused, looking back towards the alcove, "he had her…". Newt's voice trailed off and his eyes drifted as he remembered the pain in her eyes and the quiver of her lower lip as he'd watched Tina pull the knife from her leg less than two hours before.

"Newt…I'm—I can't tell you how sorry I am for what was done to you both. I was completely unaware of what happened to you and Ms Goldstein in the gardens until the Ministry contacted me this afternoon to tell me what they learned from Ms Goldstein's sister. That Grindelwald claims Credence is my lost brother Aurelius."

Newt met his eyes then, "It's true."

Dumbledore frowned and Newt led him to the other side of the room, where a large perch rested over a generous nest of ashoka branches. At its centre was a small baby bird with large black eyes and small tufts of red and gold feathers just emerging.

"What's this?" The older wizard's face softened.

"A phoenix," Newt said grimly. "I believe he belonged to Credence before Grindelwald used him to send a message to us in Paris." He explained how they'd found the bird. "I remember what you told me about your family and phoenixes. Perhaps this was intended as a threat to you as much as it was to upset me. I tried to heal him; actually thought he'd died, but it seems my efforts were enough and he must have undergone the burning because once we reached London, I found my demiguise caring for a new resident." He let a small smile creep over his face. "Marvellously resilient bird, to have survived such abuse."

"Amazing," Dumbledore crouched down and held his hand out to the small bird. Newt watched in fascination as it brushed its head against his fingers before hopping into his hand.

"Does he have a name?" Dumbledore asked, drawing the small bird against his chest and gently stroking its head.

"Fawkes," Newt said. "Queenie said Credence chose it."

He paused a moment, gathering his courage, and changed the topic. "Dumbledore, he came to my _home_."

"I'm so sorry Newt–"

"We hadn't been here for more than an hour and he walked straight through every ward I had on this house and harmed my friends. He tortured Tina, made her hurt Jacob and tried to use Queenie to raid the pact's location from my mind. The damage he could have done had he found the menagerie…" His voice trailed off and he met Dumbledore's eyes with a mixture of horror and anger in his own. "Tell me you've managed to destroy it. Tell me that you can help us fight him."

Dumbledore's expression was grim as he returned the small bird to its nest, "Not yet."

Newt sighed heavily and looked away to where the healer was examining Tina's leg. Newt's bandage lay open on the bed beside her, shining with fresh blood. At the head of the cot, Queenie was stroking her sister's hair as they watched the healer work in silence.

"But I have ideas, Newt. I'm trying everything I can. I promise you: I will destroy it. I will not leave you alone in this fight," Dumbledore said. He placed a hand on Newt's shoulder and squeezed to get the younger man to face him once more. "I can help you. There are charms we can use to hide this place…to make it untraceable to anyone you don't want to know about it. It'll be impossible for him to find you again. I know it cannot undo what's happened, but it can keep you safe so this doesn't happen again."

Hope fluttered in Newt's heart. He'd begun thinking about where he'd be able to move his creatures to hide them. It'd be a huge amount of work, and highly disruptive, particularly for some of his more sensitive beasts, so if they could somehow remain hidden without being moved...

Newt nodded, "Tell me more."

A few minutes later, their planning was interrupted by Healer Woodhouse, "Excuse me, Professor. Mr Scamander?"

Newt turned to her. "How is she?"

"Physically, she will recover. I do not believe it is necessary for me to transfer her to St Mungo's. Your brother said the wound in her leg was inflicted less than two hours ago?"

Newt nodded, "More or less."

"Well, it's healed a great deal more than I'd expect…an excellent job on your part, Mr Scamander. It seems your expertise in caring for beasts extends to wizards too. Giving her blood replenishing potion fast was excellent thinking. It has gone a long way to assisting a rapid recovery."

Newt blushed and she continued, "However, she is in a good deal of pain—more, I suspect, than she is letting on. Her sister tells me she's been subjected to the torture curse multiple times over the past two days?"

Newt nodded grimly and she raised an eyebrow, "Then you will need to keep a close watch over her."

"Tina is a trained Auror," Newt began. "I don't think she'll take kindly to any sort of supervision."

The healer shook her head, "Regardless. Some of our country's hardened veterans were subjected to it repeatedly in Moldavia during the war... Some of them now reside in our asylum permanently."

She paused a moment for it to sink in and then continued, "That said, we are better at helping victims now than we were then. I'll give you a draught of dreamless sleep to bring her through tonight, but she may be having nightmares and feeling phantom pain for the next few days. It would be best if she was not left alone at night. Some wizards have been known to react to their nightmares in the real world and I'd rather not see an Auror lose control."

Newt looked over her shoulder to an empty habitat, an idea sparking, "I'm not sure she'll appreciate being watched. What if I could create a safe environment for her, one that could absorb any stray spells?"

The healer raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "Even if that were possible, I'm afraid there is absolutely no question of moving her tonight. She will have to remain down here." She looked around the room, assessing, and Newt felt suddenly exposed under her scrutiny of his domain. The woman's gaze settled on Queenie and she looked back at Newt. "I trust suitable supervised sleeping arrangements can be made?"

Newt blushed slightly, catching her line of thought, and nodded, "Absolutely Madam Woodhouse. Is there anything else?"

She handed him a bottle of glowing purple and small vial of clear liquid. "Sleeping draught and willow bark for the pain tomorrow. The younger Miss Goldstein noted that you had run out, though it's best not to give it to her tonight, given its blood-thinning effects and the potential for more bleeding. Sleep should work just as well for now." She paused and then said, "Mr Scamander, I was wondering if you might be willing to share your secrets with me: exactly how did you treat Miss Goldstein's leg? Your technique could benefit the St Mungo's Medica significantly."

Newt smiled, happy to share his knowledge. As he began explaining his findings, Dumbledore noticed Queenie studying him intently from across the room. She cocked her head to the side and her eyes widened in realisation. Both strode forward and they met halfway between Newt and Tina. Dumbledore offered her a warm smile of greeting.

"Miss Queenie Goldstein, I presume?" he took her hand.

"You're Professor Dumbledore? Newt's teacher?" she asked.

Dumbledore chuckled and nodded, "Once upon a time, yes. I taught him Defence Against the Dark Arts, though I suppose it has a different name at Ilvermorny."

His humour was lost on her, it seemed, because her expression grew serious and he felt as if she was looking directly through his shell of charm.

"You're kinder than I expected. Credence always wished for a brother," she said softly. "He's a good kid…been hurt bad…but he's got a good heart. He's a strong wizard too. Scary sometimes. I think he'll like you."

Dumbledore sighed and ran a tense hand through his hair. "I'm not sure what to make of it all just now," he said honestly. "I've spent my life believing that he'd been lost at sea." He paused, meeting he gaze, "I mourned him. We all did. And now…I just… If it's all true, then how did Grindelwald _know_?"

Queenie offered a small shrug, "He knows about lotsa things that he shouldn't," she met his eyes with that same piercing, all-seeing gaze, "…but then you already _know_ that too."

Dumbledore felt a stab of panic at her words but Queenie gave a small smile and shook her head. _I won't tell. I promise._

"I'm sorry you lost each other," she said out loud. His occlumency was good, but Queenie could hear echoes of pain from behind the glowing amber of his mental shields. "Love is special. When you two fought, it hurt him too. I know. I heard in his mind before he shut me out."

A thousand questions and possibilities raced through Dumbledore's thoughts at her words—what else had Queenie seen in the dark wizard's consciousness?!—but there was no time for questions as Newt, having thanked and dismissed the healer, came over to them. Instead, Dumbledore smiled at Queenie and took her hand again.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Goldstein. I'll be returning tomorrow, or rather, later today, to place a number of shielding spells around the house. I wonder if you might join me for tea; I'd very much like to continue our conversation."

Queenie returned his smile and nodded, "I'd like that too, Professor."

xxx

After some heated discussion, it was decided that the need for some sort of chaperone, as implied by the much older and more prudent Healer Woodhouse, was nonsense. Queenie would still be sleeping upstairs in Newt's bedroom and having been displaced by Tina, Newt would be spending the night in his suitcase. Tina's protests against this arrangement went ignored by both Newt and Queenie and so she lay quietly as Queenie transfigured her clothing into her usual pyjamas. Queenie kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Sweet dreams Teenie" before heading up the stairs for some much-needed rest and Jacob's waiting arms.

Tina found herself alone with Newt again. The magizoologist looked exhausted, his face ashen and shoulders slumping with fatigue as he came over to the cot with the bottle of dreamless sleep.

"You look like you need that more than me," she said.

Newt chuckled and it occurred to Tina that he was less self-conscious when in his menagerie. Or perhaps it was the exhaustion clearly settling over him. He sat down on a chair beside the cot and tugged the blanket over her.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked. "Warm?"

Tina nodded and smiled, "Yes, thank you Newt… for everything tonight."

He blushed slightly, "It was my pleasure—no! Not that, at least, I'm not glad to see you injured. That gives me no pleasure at all. Rather–"

Tina's hand on his arm made him pause and he met her eyes. "I know Newt," she said. Mirth danced in her features and the sight of it made the corners of Newt's mouth quirk to match hers.

"Well then, there's nothing left but to wish you a good night," he said, uncorking the bottle. Tina's smile faded.

"Newt, I can't drink that. What if they come back again?" she said. There was a hint of fear in her voice.

"Tina, darling," Newt replaced the stopper and clasped her hand. "They won't. Grindelwald was severely wounded."

"Newt, he's got people everywhere. I need to wake up if somebody tries again. I can fight—you know I can't let this happen again—"

"Tina. Stop," Newt said. He placed a hand on the side of her face. "Please trust me. I know you had a nightmare last night and didn't sleep enough. There are Aurors upstairs guarding the house and you need to rest. Neither of us is in any shape to fight and we won't be unless we get proper sleep. This potion will help you to do that. Healer's orders."

"The healer doesn't understand. She can go–"

"Then do it for me, Tina. Please. I won't be able to rest knowing that you could be suffering through another nightmare," he said. He'd decided not to mention the healer's warning and was relieved when his words finally penetrated her mental spiral and Tina gave a sigh of defeat.

"Fine," she said, "But only because it'll help you to rest too."

Newt smiled and handed her the open bottle. After a healthy swallow, Tina handed it back and settled down against the pillows with a poorly concealed wince as she adjusted her leg.

"I don't feel anything," Tina said with a small frown.

"Would you like me to read to you again until you fall asleep?" Newt asked, looking around for a stray copy of his book. He knew he'd had a few with revision notes lying around the room.

"I don't think this potion's gonna work on me–" she paused to yawn. "You might be reading for a long time."

Newt smiled knowingly, "Is that so Miss Goldstein?"

He'd seen dreamless sleep drag screaming wounded soldiers under in less than a minute during the war and clearly, an exhausted Auror in a warm bed was no exception.

"Mmmm hmmm," Tina said, blinking sleepily.

Newt bent to kiss her forehead. "Sleep sweet, Tina," he whispered. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed.

"Newt?" Tina's voice was slurred but small smile danced across her features, "You called me darling…"

"Oh?" he ran a gentle hand through her hair and watched her face relax as sleep claimed her. "Yes. Yes, I believe I did".

When Newt rose to find his case a few moments later, it was with a small smile creeping across his face and warmth in his heart.

A/N Thanks for sticking with this story. Please review – good or bad, one word or six hundred, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise

A/N Thank you thank you thank you to Giraffka, Paiw, Margaritasc, SilvanBeauty12, Guest and lilypaws for giving of your time to leave feedback! It's embarrassing how much it means to me and it really keeps me going.

I'm afraid this chapter is a bit of random filler…it started with a purpose, but then sort of got away from me. I think the deleted scenes version of this chapter is about as long as the real thing because I couldn't quite nail it down in my mind. The bright side is that there will need to be another extra chapter to get to where I should have with this one 😊 After wrestling with the same stuff for a going on week now, I've given up and decided to just post it – hope it doesn't suck too much (sooooo much blasted fluff! I can't see for all the fluff!).

Thank you for taking the time to read — reviews/comments/criticisms/kudos are my lifeblood 😉

 **Surprise**

Tina woke with a gasp as pain stabbed through her left thigh. She held her breath and rolled off her left side and on to her back to shift the weight off her injured leg. Tina breathed hard through the pain the movement caused, then let out a whimper of despair as the burning of the Cruciatus curse awakened in her chest once more. _Please_ , she begged, _not now_. She knew it was all in her head, that it wasn't real, but that didn't make it hurt any less and Tina she squeezed her eyes shut, glad that she was alone in the room where her pain could go unwitnessed. The burning intensified and her skin caught fire as if someone was slowly peeling it off, just as it had on Newt's kitchen floor the night before. The back of her throat clenched with the need to cry and Tina sniffed, quietly allowing her tears to flow unchecked. Feeling vulnerable, she clenched her teeth and turned onto her right side, pulling her good leg up into the closest thing to the fetal position that she could manage.

Tina remembered the night before, remembered the feel of Grindelwald's consciousness pressing down on hers. Queenie described it as a wall of rock, but in Tina's mind, it'd felt as if a hundred clammy hands were gripping her body, stroking and pulling at her. She'd felt them covering her face, cutting off her air and her ability to speak, to move at all. She'd fought him as best she could, but the thrumming of the Cruciatus curse had knocked her concentration and once he'd taken hold, his grip was nigh impossible to resist. Her mind had writhed, helpless as she watched him use her power to hurt the others. He'd left her full awareness of her senses and now, anxiety rose in Tina as she remembered the pain of the knife burning in her thigh and the agony of pulling it out. Grindelwald's will had refused to allow her to show her pain, so she'd stood still even as it hurt, even as her heart ached as she captured Jacob and pressed the bloody knife into this neck, waiting. Grindelwald had wanted it to be slow, to make her sister suffer for her betrayal and Tina's horror at his intentions had allowed her to wrest just enough control to angle the knife away from major blood vessels and keep the wound as shallow as she could. In that moment, Jacobs fear had been tangible and she felt a pang of guilt recalling the clamminess of his skin and his desperate plea for her to stop.

Tina took a shuddering breath as the memory washed over her but froze at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She heard the distinctive tapping of high heels on concrete and a shiver of fear slithered through her. She'd known Queenie's gait her entire life—and this was not it.

 _Rosier! They'd come back!_

Tina's body tensed, but she lay dead still and kept her eyes closed, even as her heart pounded in her ears. Slowly, she slipped her right hand under her pillow to find her wand. Its smooth wood offered a comforting familiarity and Tina took a moment to remind herself of who she was: an Auror, one who'd duelled Grindelwald before and survived. He wasn't here now. It was just Rosier, and Tina had a bone to pick with her. She tightened her fingers around her wand, took a breath and rolled over.

xxx

" _Immobulus!"_

The high-pitched scream that followed woke Newt, who lay blinking for a few seconds as he tried to remember where he was. A crash sounded from above, followed by a shriek and Newt's sleepy mind cleared instantly. He rolled from the hammock in his case's shed and drew his wand.

Newt's heart pounded with dread at what'd find once he reached the top of the ladder. He'd positioned the case at the base of Tina's cot; close, but out of the way if she got up. As he cracked the lid to peer out, he heard Tina's shout from beside him.

"Who are you?!" her voice was hoarse and deeper than he'd ever heard it; she sounded furious.

Newt turned towards the sound and spotted Tina on the floor. The small table that'd stood next to the cot was overturned beside her, its contents scattered and the bottle of dreamless sleep shattered. Tina was breathing hard, her face flushed and her hair messy. She had one hand on the floor to hold herself up, but her jaw was clenched in determination as she scowled across the room, aiming her wand with white knuckles.

A sob sounded and Newt followed the direction of Tina's wand to find Bunty, spreadeagled and suspended two meters above the ground. The young woman was clearly terrified.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"I know he sent you! What've you done to Queenie and Jacob?!" Tina demanded.

Newt threw open the suitcase and both women's eyes immediately fell on him as he stepped out, still in his pyjamas.

"Newt!" they cried simultaneously, Bunty with relief and Tina with fear.

"It's alright!" he held up his hands.

"It's Grindelwald! He sent—"

"Help me!"

"It's alright," Newt repeated. He nodded reassurance to Bunty, then turned to Tina.

"Newt! I caught her sneaking in here. He's sent her to kill us and she won't tell me what she's done to Queenie!"

Footsteps rang out from above as the woman in question came rushing down the steps, once again dressed in Jacob's spare pyjamas. Like Newt, she'd clearly just rolled out of bed.

"Teen! I heard you shouting—" Queenie started.

"No! Stay back Queenie!" the Auror yelled.

The blonde froze on the last flight of stairs when she spotted Bunty.

"Who's…?" she paused and then her face broke with sympathy. "Oh honey! No, no, no! Tina ain't gonna hurt you! You just scared her is all."

Hearing a reply to her unspoken thoughts washed fresh wave of fear over Bunty and she gave a small sob and looked at the magizoologist imploringly, "Newt, please! Who are these people?"

Newt crouched beside Tina and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tina, love. It's okay. This is Bunty. She's my assistant," he said. Up close, he could see that her fringe was stuck to her face and her wand hand shook slightly. She looked back at him with wild eyes that danced with fiery suspicion.

"But—" Tina paused and narrowed her eyes at Bunty as she considered his words. Her head had begun pounding along with her heartbeat, a growing ache at the base of her skull and behind her eyes that made it difficult to think straight.

"But what if it's not her?" Tina hissed, "They could be using polyjuice—"

"It's true Tina," Queenie joined Newt on her other side, carefully stepping over the broken potion bottle and kneeling down. "It's okay. She's telling the truth."

"I—" Tina blinked, looking between Newt and Queenie uncertainly.

"We're safe Tina," Newt said. "After everything that happened last night, I forgot about Bunty coming in to work this morning."

Queenie nodded. "It's her," she said. "And Teenie, you're kinda scaring her."

Tina's expression shifted from determination to horror and she looked back up at Bunty.

"Please," the redhead whimpered, "Let me down."

"I'm—I'm so sorry," Tina whispered as she slowly lowered her wand, returning the frozen assistant to the ground and releasing her. Newt went to Bunty and she fell into his arms with a sob. She laid her head on his chest and he stiffened at the contact, suddenly uncomfortable with how unexpectedly intimate it was. Newt patted her back gingerly and kept his eyes glued to the ground.

From the floor, Tina looked on in shame as Newt comforted the frightened young woman, who clung to him and sniffled softly. Queenie snaked an arm around her and Tina leaned into her sister woodenly, still breathing hard as she processed her actions. When she'd rolled from the bed to capture the intruder, her left leg had collapsed beneath her and in the scramble to stay upright, she'd taken the bedside table down with her. Now, as her adrenaline level began to drop once more, Tina realised that her injured leg was screaming as the injured muscle stretched too far in its current position folded beneath her. Worse, her head ached and her heart clenched with guilt at what she'd done. _That poor girl._ Again, Tina found herself suppressing the urge to cry. Queenie must've realised because she gave the Auror a squeeze and began gently rubbing her back.

"You didn't know, Teen," she whispered.

With a quick glance at Tina, Newt drew Bunty over to a chair beside his workbench and managed to extract himself from her grip. Once she was seated, he set about getting a glass of water and a few blocks of chocolate to restore her nerves. Then he began calmly explaining the situation in a low voice that he hoped Tina would not hear.

As Newt talked, Queenie listened with half a mind. Slowly, Bunty's thoughts went from fear to sympathy for her sister, but when Newt turned from her to glance over at Tina, Queenie heard the assistant's adoration sing loud and clear. _He's so kind, so caring, so strong._ She was smitten with Newt, utterly, hopelessly in love with him and Queenie felt a pang of sadness for the young woman because she knew how strong Newt's feelings for her sister were.

"Queenie? You down here baby?" Jacob appeared at the top of the stairs. He spotted them on the ground and hurried down to join them. He stopped next to Queenie and Tina, glancing between the sisters and Newt.

"What happened?" Jacob asked.

"Small misunderstanding when Bunty here arrived for work," Newt said. "No need for concern; everything is fine." He looked to Bunty and she nodded with a small smile.

"Yes," she agreed. Perhaps it was the chocolate or the lingering sensation of Newt's strong, warm embrace, but Bunty was beginning to feel like herself again and she smiled sincerely when she looked at Tina and said, "No harm done."

"Help me get Teen up and back in bed?" Queenie asked Jacob.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Tina shook her head. "I'm fine. I can do it," she said softly. But when she braced her right leg to push onto her left knee and get up, pain tore through her and she slipped back to the floor with a frustrated whimper. Queenie and Jacob shared a quick look before gripping her under her shoulders from either side and pulling her up to sit on the side of the cot. As her leg came out from beneath her, Queenie gasped.

"Teen, you're bleedin' again!"

Tina glanced down. Her pale blue pyjama leg was stained with a warm patch of crimson that was slowly growing and Queenie spun towards Newt.

"Newt! It's Tina's leg again!" she called.

Newt turned from Bunty and strode to the cot. Behind him, his assistant put her water glass down and leaned to look.

Newt felt his heart drop when he reached Tina and found her left thigh bloody again.

"Here, lie back," he said, helping her swing her legs up onto the cot. "Um, would you mind?" he asked the younger Goldstein, gesturing to the bloody patch. "I don't want to ruin another pair."

Tina rested her head against the headboard as Queenie transfigured her pyjama bottoms back into the torn pants from the night before to give Newt access to the bandage. The flow of a cool breeze over her leg made Tina acutely aware of how much skin was bare before him and at the sight, Newt himself was suddenly taken by an impulse to run his hand up its length from ankle to thigh, anticipating the feel of warm silk. But Tina shifted awkwardly and, noticing her discomfort, Newt pulled the blanket up and tucked it so that only the bandage was visible. The top was wet with blood, which was slowly spreading and he was rapidly reminded of the work at hand.

"Thank you," Tina's voice was soft and she met his eyes from behind her hair, suddenly demure. Newt's first instinct was to tuck the offending stands away from her face and beside him Queenie let out a giggle.

"You must've pulled the stitches just now," Newt said. "Is it hurting?"

"Mm hmm," Tina nodded. Her eyes were fixed on the blood. "But it's fine. Not as bad as last night. It feels better today."

"I don't get it. Why could you fix me up so quick, but Tina's still bleedin' like this?" Jacob asked, looking between Queenie and Newt. "Was somethin' on that knife?"

"Could've been draculus extract," Bunty said, appearing suddenly at his shoulder. "It stops the blood from clotting and slows healing. It's potent stuff for wizards, but draculus doesn't affect muggles. Some of you even eat it; its proper name is _Artemesia dracunculus_ : tarragon," she explained.

"Seriously?!" Jacob guffawed, "Who'da thought?"

"If it was that, it should be out of your system now. Let's take a look," Newt said. He turned to search for the medical supplies that'd stood on the nightstand. They were still scattered around the cot and he was relieved when Bunty held out a tray with a fresh pair of surgical scissors, swabs and bottles of disinfectant and dittany. He smiled at her, "Thank you, Bunty."

She grinned back winningly and then gasped when her eyes settled on Tina. Up close, it was unmistakable and Queenie heard the young woman's horrified thoughts as realisation hit.

She turned to Jacob.

"Honey, why don't we start a pot 'o coffee upstairs? I'm starvin' and I'm sure we can whip somethin' up for everyone," she said sweetly as she took his hand and tugged him back upstairs and away from what she suspected would be an uncomfortable conversation.

Newt glanced up as they left, then went to work gently cutting the bandage off. Beside him, Bunty's eyes were fixed on Tina.

"You're her," she said suddenly, scanning the Auror's face. "I didn't realise before. You changed your hair."

"I'm sorry?" Tina blinked at her, confused. The intensity of the young woman's gaze was unnerving.

"You're _Porpentina_ ," Bunty said. "The Auror in the photograph." When Tina's confusion didn't shift, she gestured towards Newt's open case but found the lid empty. "It's…it used to be in the case's lid."

Tina looked from Bunty to Newt, who paused his cutting and glanced up. She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to suppress a smile. His eyes danced with mischief where there once might have been embarrassment; he didn't have to hide his feelings from her now. In fact, he wanted her to know that he'd carried the photograph with him, that he'd thought of her even after she'd cut off their correspondence. He met her eyes boldly and offered an innocent shrug as if he'd had no choice but to carry it, so great was his affection for her. Warmth exploded in Tina's heart and she smiled shyly, delighted with the thought but aware of their audience.

Despair drenched Bunty as she watched their silent exchange. She'd hoped that in time, Newt would _see_ her; would look at her the way he looked at the girl in the newspaper clipping when he didn't realise she was watching. She loved her work—loved the creatures—but she loved him more and had spent the past months desperately wishing to make him her own. With every denied travel permit, she'd become more certain that he'd stop missing the Auror in the photograph who was so far away and notice the woman who worked beside him every day. She'd been convinced that it'd only be a matter of time before he realised their potential as a pair, especially after the letters from New York stopped arriving and Newt mentioned the American less frequently. But it was too late for Bunty now. The girl in the picture was here before her, flesh and blood, with shining (albeit messy) hair, thick, dark eyelashes and alabaster skin. She was as fierce and powerful as Newt had said she was and Bunty felt her heart sink. She tried to keep her face neutral but Tina noticed the sadness in her eyes and mistook it.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you, Bunty" Tina said. "It's been a rough few days and I thought you were…someone else. I hope we can make a fresh start?"

"Of course, absolutely," Bunty said, swallowing her sorrow and hardening her heart. She held her head high. "I'm quite alright. Newt didn't tell me he'd be back, or that he'd be bringing company."

"So sorry about that, Bunty," Newt said guiltily. "I didn't know myself until yesterday evening." He paused and looked up. "You've done a marvellous job; I see everyone is well here and Pinky's eyes are healed now." He paused. The air was beginning to fill with the sounds of his creatures as they woke for the day and Newt glanced over at the clock mounted above the workbench. "In fact, it sounds as though everyone is getting hungry, even though I gave them all a late snack when I arrived last night. If you're feeling better Bunty, perhaps you'd like to start morning rounds? I'll join you as soon as I've finished here."

Buoyed by the fact that Tina had clearly not replaced her in every part of Newt's life, Bunty nodded eagerly, "Of course Newt! I'll start with the augurys and we can do the kelpie together. He's been so feisty since you left."

She set the tray down and disappeared into the shed at the centre of the room to begin preparing the morning feedings. Tina watched her go, noticing the abrupt change in the woman's demeanour. A jab of pain through her leg drew her attention back to Newt and he grimaced up at her apologetically as he pulled the severed bandage away from her leg.

"Sorry, you've ripped two of the stitches out and the bandage was caught on one of the others." He reached for the swab and disinfectant and began gently cleaning the blood from Tina's skin. It stung, but she remained silent because the pain was nothing compared to what she'd felt the night before and right now, it barely registered because her head still ached.

"The good news is that thanks to Madam Woodhouse, it appears to be healing from the inside out," Newt announced with a glance up at her. "I think dittany will be sufficient to fix the last of it, assuming of course that Bunty's theory is correct."

He placed a fresh swab over the wound to absorb the blood that continued to seep, then took the dittany from Bunty's tray.

"She seems smart," Tina ventured. "How'd you two meet?"

"She…We met at my book signing," Newt said awkwardly. "I think you may, er, recall the resulting magazine article." He uncorked the dittany bottle. "This is going to hurt again."

Tina let her head fall back against the headboard and gazed at the ceiling as Newt dripped the essence onto her leg. It hissed as it began to work and she felt the familiar sting of skin knitting together. As Newt snipped the remaining stitches out, Tina found that the tugging sensation as he withdrew them no longer stung. She looked down and found it largely healed, now just a thick strip of red scar tissue.

"How long has she been in love with you?" she asked innocently.

"What?!" Newt spluttered, disbelieving. He set the scissors down and frowned at her. "That is preposterous. She's my assistant. She's here because she loves magical creatures. Not because of some misguided interest in me."

Tina chuckled and fixed him with a tender look. "Oh Newt, you are so much easier to love than you think," she said. "And she is definitely sweet on you."

Newt looked dubious, caught between confusion and reflection and Tina watched his eyes shift to the side in memory as he re-examined every interaction he'd had with Bunty. She placed a hand on his cheek to draw his attention back to her. Her eyes drifted down to his lips and back up as she smiled slyly, "Lucky thing I met you first."

"Lucky for me too," he replied. Feeling increasingly emboldened, he allowed her to draw him into a gentle kiss. Electricity shot through him at the contact and his head spun, swamped by sensation. It'd been intended as a gentle, chaste kiss to remind him that she cared, but when the moment came to pull back, Tina found herself unable to withdraw from him and heartbeats later, Newt surprised her by deepening the kiss and she let herself lean into him. Her hand slid from his face and into his hair, drawing him nearer and sending small sparks of pleasure over his scalp. Newt suppressed a soft moan at the back of his throat and, dizzy with pleasure, slid his hand under the blanket and let his fingers trail up the smooth, warm skin of her bare leg. Tina broke the kiss with a gasp of surprise and her hand seized his where it now rested on the fresh scar.

"Newt," she breathed. "We're not alone."

Newt drew back, blushing crimson and hastily looked around for Bunty. When he saw her shadow still moving about in the shed, he let out a breath of relief.

"Merlin's beard Tina, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," she said, her cheeks equally flushed. "I felt it too."

She could still feel the rough warmth of his fingers gliding over her skin and the sensation sent a shiver of pleasure through her. Tina's heart was racing and when Newt met her eyes, she squeezed his hand and offered a conspiratorial smile.

"Perhaps we could continue this a little later?"

Heat rose in Newt's face and he adjusted the collar of his pyjama shirt. "I'd like that," he said in a voice that was huskier than he'd intended. He cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "For now, though, can you stand?"

Tina drew her wand and deftly transfigured her torn pants into a calf-length black skirt, deciding to deal with her bloody pyjamas later. She swung her legs off the bed and pushed herself onto her feet. This time, her leg held her weight, but she'd risen too fast and the room spun. She tilted towards Newt, who took her arm to steady her.

"Tina?" he asked, frowning.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just stood up too fast." The dull ache of her headache had risen up into a heavy pounding again and Tina shut her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"Are you certain?" Newt made no move to release her.

"Yes Newt, I'm fine," she replied. "Just a headache. I'm sure it'll get better now that I can move around."

Newt's frown didn't shift and in his mind, he considered the healer's words and wondered whether Rosier's curse had anything to do with it. "Tell me where it hurts," he said.

"What?"

"Humour me, please, and tell me where the pain is," he said.

She raised a hand to the base her skull, "Here, mostly, but behind my eyes too…why?"

"No reason," Newt answered quickly. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and gently ran it up and into her hair to find the source of her pain. "Here?" he asked.

The boldness of his action surprised her and Tina's eyes locked on his when she replied, "Um… a little higher… there."

Newt gently pressed into the notch at the base of her skull and rubbed a small circle. He kept his eyes on hers to gauge her reaction and wasn't disappointed when Tina's eyes melted shut and she leaned into his wrist with a small moan. Tina felt the muscles in her neck relaxing under the warmth of his hand and slowly, the pain in her head eased a little. She let her forehead drop into his shoulder and found that the warmth and gentle pressure of the contact eased the ache behind her eyes as well. She felt warmth on her lower back through the thin cotton of her shirt and realised that Newt had brought his other arm around to fold her in his embrace. Tina let out a small sigh, content and wishing they could stay like that forever.

A soft clinking from the floor behind the cot made them both freeze and they parted to find Tina's locket training along the floor as the niffler carefully reeled it in, stuffing it into its pouch as it went.

Newt gave a sigh of exasperation but Tina giggled, delighted to see the small bandit.

"Honestly, he's incorrigible," Newt huffed. He released her and went around the bed to retrieve the necklace. The creature saw him coming and began pulling the locket faster.

"What happens to the things he collects?" Tina asked.

Newt scooped the small creature into his arms and paused, frowning. "Hoarded mostly, why?"

"I don't think I'm ready to wear it again just yet. Perhaps he could hold onto it for me, for now."

"That's very generous of you, but I'd prefer we didn't encourage him," Newt said. "If you'd like, we can store it in my safebox until you're ready." He pulled the locket free and gave the small creature a stern look. The niffler chittered in protest but just then, Bunty emerged from the shed with buckets of food and the small creature wriggled from Newt's arms and scampered across the room, eager for breakfast.

Tina watched him go with a smile on her face, then turned to Newt.

"I'd best get on to help Bunty", he said, turning back to the case.

"Can I help too?" Tina asked, her voice hopeful.

Excitement raced through Newt at her words and he struggled to hide his grin. When Jacob came down the stairs fifteen minutes later to call them up for breakfast, he found them both soaking wet and laughing with exhilaration as they brought the kelpie in to meet Bunty at the side of the pool.

A/N See what I mean? It's not just…right. Any suggestions/insights would really help me at this point, if you're willing to share.


	9. Chapter 9: Resolution

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Lots of mish mash in this chapter...turns out its not easy to tie up the loose ends in a fic that was supposed to be a one-shot.

Unbeta'd, so your patience is, as always, appreciated :)

 **Resolution**

After leaving the awkwardness of the basement, Jacob and Queenie had found a kitchen stocked with fresh eggs, ham, cheese, bread and vegetables, courtesy of Dumbledore and the Hogwarts kitchens, it seemed. When they called the others upstairs for breakfast a half hour later, the table held a hearty breakfast and fresh, steaming cups of tea and coffee. Newt drew Bunty upstairs to join them, still feeling guilty for not warning her that he'd be home. The young woman soon found herself clutching a cup of Earl Grey and nibbling warm toast with melted butter and honey as she listened to Queenie gush over Newt's healing skills.

Bunty found that she rather liked the younger woman. Being of the quieter sort herself, she didn't often enjoy the company of the pretty, bubbly (and usually vapid) type that Queenie appeared to be, but the blonde was kind and warm towards her. Beyond her blonde curls and bright smile, her eyes were fiercely intelligent and she spoke to Bunty with respect for her position as Newt's assistant as if she truly understood how important Bunty was to his work. Queenie was a stark contrast to her sister, who sat beside her, subdued after the excitement of riding the kelpie with Newt (an indulgence on Newt's part of which Bunty was intensely jealous). While her sister chattered excitedly and asked Bunty about her work, the older Goldstein stayed quiet, listening attentively. With them all crowded around the small kitchen table, Newt sat beside her and Bunty noticed that their arms remained in contact, even as Newt gestured with his wand to project an image of Pinky to help Bunty explain his treatment to Jacob and Queenie.

When the meal was done, Tina offered to clean their plates to give Jacob and Queenie an opportunity to freshen up for the day ahead. Newt retreated to the basement to shower and change as well.

As she stood at the sink, absently enchanting Newt's washing brush, Bunty seized the opportunity and stood beside her to begin drying the plates as they emerged from the water.

Tina glanced over at her before saying, "I'm not a total crazy, I promise."

"And I'm not usually a simpering damsel in distress," Bunty replied with a chuckle. "Though apparently I'm not as brave as I thought."

"Sorry about that," Tina said.

"Already forgotten," Bunty said. "Better to be careful than sorry, especially with what's happened. Newt didn't explain everything, but what little he told me sounds awful. You're terribly brave."

Tina blushed and shrugged, "Thank you, but I'm just doing my job. Especially as far as Newt's concerned. Grindelwald's really got it in for him now and I can't—won't—let anything happen to him."

"You care for him." It was not a question and Tina was not going to insult her by pretending it was.

Tina paused, then nodded. "Yes. Very much." Unwilling to pretend, she added, "So do you."

Bunty nodded slowly, her eyes distant as she processed the confirmation of what she already knew. A streak of panic rushed through her – had Tina realised that she _cared_ for Newt? Nothing for it if she had. Bunty shook it off, took a breath, put on a smile and turned to Tina.

"I should very much like to hear more about your adventures as an Auror. Especially how you and Newt met. He's been terribly secretive about it, just said you helped him recovering the creatures that escaped the case."

"He didn't tell you I arrested him?"

Bunty's eyes went wide and she giggled, "No! Though knowing Newt, I suppose I'm not terribly surprised. Tell me how it happened?"

Tina was happy to oblige and they continued to chat peacefully as they worked their way through the pile of dishes.

They'd just finished packing away the last of the plates when the front door swung open and Tina's spine went rigid. Her hand went to her chest, looking for her locket, but when Theseus and Dumbledore entered, a fierce blush of embarrassment flooded her cheeks and she let out a carefully controlled breath of relief.

"Good morning, Bunty, Miss Goldstein," Dumbledore said with a charming smile, oblivious to the brunette's sudden tension, or perhaps choosing to ignore it. "It's good to see you up; I trust your leg is healing well?"

"It's Tina, please. And yes, it's healed very well, Professor," Tina replied. She looked to Theseus. The older Auror had dark moons bordering his eyes, clearly tired and wrung out. She wondered how much sleep, if any, he'd had after Newt had woken him to deal with Abernathy. She pulled out a chair and nodded to him. "Sit, Theseus. I'll make tea."

"Newt's just downstairs," Bunty said, making for the basement stairs.

With a sigh, Theseus slumped into the chair, while Dumbledore followed Bunty down to the menagerie.

"You look like you need sleep," Tina said as she spooned leaves into the freshly washed teapot. She flicked her wand at the kettle on the stove to set it heating.

"Newt's created a proper dung storm this time," Theseus said, rubbing at screwed up eyes. "The good news is that the Ministry wants to offer Jacob asylum from MACUSA—and possibly a reward for his actions last night. They know he'll be obliviated as soon as he sets foot on American soil and after the blow he dealt to Grindelwald, they don't want to see that happen. The bad news is that Newt is in serious trouble for defying his travel ban."

"Travel ban?" Tina frowned.

"He didn't tell you?"

Tina looked down, embarrassed. "We… haven't corresponded for a few months. Not since his book launch."

"Oh, right. I assumed you knew. He's had five travel applications denied. After the events in New York, the Ministry didn't want him involved in another international incident." He gave a bitter laugh. "Fat lot of good that did."

"Is it very serious?" Tina asked. Her mind was spinning at finally knowing why Newt hadn't delivered her copy of his book as promised. After she'd seen the magazine article, she'd given up hope of seeing him again. But he clearly hadn't given up on her; even after she stopped returning his letters, he'd been fighting to visit her again. Her heart swelled with warmth at the thought. The kettle on the stove began to whistle and she turned to pour the boiling water into the waiting teapot.

"He's under house arrest, effective immediately, until they can haul him in to explain himself. If he can't offer a decent reason, it'll be time in Azkaban as punishment." He shuddered at the thought of his kind-hearted brother in that hell. "But it'll have to wait until after we've dealt with your Mr Abernathy. Which reminds me: they want to interrogate him more thoroughly before he goes to Azkaban to await extradition to America – assuming MACUSA want to deal with him. And naturally, they want Queenie involved, both because of her ability and their history and so I suggested you attend as well, for similar reasons."

"Thank you for that," she set the teapot and a clean cup on the table in front of him and went to retrieve the milk and sugar.

"It's planned for this afternoon," Theseus said, masking a yawn. "I'm meant to return to the office with you and Queenie as soon as Newt and Dumbledore are finished shielding the house." He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

"Theseus," Tina put the milk jug and sugar bowl down a little too loudly and sat across from him. "Forgive me for saying it, but you look like hell. Did you get any sleep last night?"

The other Auror sighed. "I'm not sure any of us did."

Tina rolled her eyes. "You weren't upstairs for very long before they arrived; you can't have got much rest. And you've been at the Ministry since then. Surely you need some sleep by now?" She poured his tea and slid it across the table.

Theseus ignored the milk and sugar and took a sip. He closed his eyes in pleasure as the warmth of the tea seeped into his bones and when he opened them again, he felt some of his energy returning.

Theseus sighed and looked across the table at her. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if assessing whether he could trust her. With a sigh, he shrugged, "I've not been sleeping anyway."

There was a beat of silence and then Tina said, "You know...She wouldn't want you to stop taking care of yourself. The wound will heal, eventually. You need to still be intact when it does." She recalled the gaping chasm that'd opened in her chest when her parents died and how it'd slowly knit back together over time; never the same, but no longer raw.

Theseus swallowed, "What if…what if I don't want it to? Heal, I mean."

Tina nodded in understanding. The guilt of moving on had been a familiar companion of hers, but the emotional fallout of her parents' deaths had stretched beyond a pressing desire to keep them alive in her heart. The crippling anxiety about her and Queenie's future - how'd they'd survive as orphans - had left Tina anxious and hyperaware of her surroundings, filled with nervous energy that left her jittery and unable to sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she'd seen her parents' pox-covered skin, heard their rasped final words to care for her baby sister. The horror of it and the sadness-drenched loss that inevitably followed any thought of them sparked fresh anxiety about how she'd care for Queenie alone, leaving her in a nasty cycle of being unable to rest, to stop and properly grieve, but also constantly keeping herself busy and exhausted by a constant lack of sleep. The upside of sleeping very little and worrying about an uncertain future was that she'd spent the extra hours studying, which put her a step ahead when selection for advanced classes rolled around. In the end, it'd fast-tracked her for the Auror program and the much-needed income that she feared being without. She'd also found herself in the Ilvermorny san repeatedly, drained and stressed from too much work and not enough food, until the head of Thunderbird house had cornered her and forced her to pull back, start eating properly and talk about her grief. At the time, a teenaged Tina had been furious, convinced that the only way to manage her anxiety was to keep moving, but as an adult, she recognised that the woman had probably saved her life.

Now, as she scrutinised the haggard man across the table, she recognised that same compulsive need to avoid the crippling anxiety of loss and channel the energy into something useful. "You may think you're fine now, but you'll have to stop eventually. You have to rest, to grieve. To keep yourself strong...and that won't mean that you love her any less. It won't mean that you've forgotten her. You know you can't live like this forever."

"I'm fine." It was a bald-faced lie and they both knew it.

"You're running on grief."

"I'm taking action to do what needs to be done."

"You're avoiding your pain."

She'd hit the bullseye and Theseus scowled. He slammed his teacup down onto the table, spilling tea.

"She didn't die in vain! She gave her life to save us from Grindelwald and I won't have that forgotten!" His eyes blazed, "No, I will not slump in some corner to nurse my loss while that bastard is still out there! I'll use every shred of energy I have to pursue him to the end of this Earth to make him pay for what he's done!"

His face was red and he was breathing fast when he finished. The air in the kitchen was tense and for a moment, Tina said nothing. Then, she reached across the table and gently took his hands in hers, hoping that she wasn't being too forward. Yes, he was technically her boss, but they'd been something close to partners as they worked together over the past week and she knew the wonders a little human contact could do. She squeezed his hands and met his eyes.

" _He will pay_ , Theseus," she said, her voice steady and filled with steel. "We will find him and bring him to justice for every life he's taken, for every person he's hurt. I promise you. For Leta. For Queenie. We'll bring him down."

She spoke with such certainly, as if it was already set in stone, that Theseus wondered if she'd somehow travelled to the future and seen it all happen.

"We need you with us, Newt and me," she continued. "He couldn't bear to lose you too. I know it's awful. It's hard. But you're also strong Theseus. And you have us. Please, you aren't in this alone. Let us help you. Rest, grieve. Keep your body strong... you're going to need it before this is all over."

Theseus felt as if he was seeing Tina, really seeing her, for the first time since they'd met. She looked through him from across the table, clearly recognising his pain. It was clear that she understood, that she knew what it was to lose someone and suddenly have no idea of how to deal with the hideous emotions that followed. But while he saw his pain reflected in her dark eyes, they were also filled with determination. While her body was tense, she held herself with the confidence that Theseus recognised as a choice to be brave in spite of all there was to fear. She had suffered too, had felt the agony of the Cruciatus curse in the name of his brother, but it had not broken her. Indeed, it seemed to have left her all the more determined to bring the dark wizard to justice. They wanted the same thing and were equally hell-bent on getting it. Theseus Scamander was not stupid; he knew that it was foolish to not take care of himself, to plough headlong into his work, but his pain made him angry, reckless and he'd convinced himself that he'd deal with it all after Grindelwald was destroyed. Now, he was being called out by someone who clearly understood, who knew the excuses, the justifications, the righteous anger of loss; someone who'd been through this and survived. Her steady determination to bring down the dark wizard was surprisingly comforting; if she wanted this as badly as him, perhaps it was okay to take a moment to himself because she'd be there to pick up the slack. He wasn't alone. Tina was there. So was Newt. And they had as much of a stake in this as he did. At this realisation, Theseus felt one of the knots around his heart loosen and slip away and found that he could suddenly breathe more easily.

With a sigh, he nodded in agreement, "Very well. I'll rest while Newt and the professor are working. Is there any breakfast left?"

xxx

The afternoon found Newt, Jacob and Bunty in the menagerie. Theseus, Tina and Queenie had returned to the Ministry for Abernathy's interrogation and since he was housebound, Newt busied himself preparing a new habitat for the zhouwu. Bunty and Jacob were more than happy to help. Many hands made light work and it was completed by the time Bunty went home in the late afternoon. Newt and Jacob found themselves seated on a rock in a bamboo forest bordering a mountainous plain, watching the huge cat roll gleefully in the verdant grass.

Jacob reclined with his head on his hands and gave a contented sigh. Theseus's news of the Ministry's protection had lifted a weight from his heart and while he'd have to make plans for the bakery, it was a relief to know that MACUSA would not be able to wipe his memory; he'd never forget Queenie again and now that they were in a country will more liberal views on the interaction of the magical and non-magical worlds, his thoughts returned to the argument in Newt's street that'd started their whirlwind trip to Paris. After the previous night's events, he was feeling more confident about his ability to survive in the magical world and if Queenie were offered the same protection as him, having a public relationship would no longer put her at risk of jail time.

"Hey Newt," Jacob asked. "What's the deal here with marriage?"

Beside him, Newt looked over with wide eyes, "Jacob, do you mean to propose?"

The baker paused, struck for a moment by the gravity of his intentions, then nodded. "Well, yeah, maybe. You said the authorities here aren't as backwards about wizards and non-magical folks associatin' and I was just thinking that after all that's happened, I wanna make this thing between Queenie an' me official."

"Jacob, that's wonderful!" Newt's eyes lit up.

"So, she won't go to prison if she marries me here?"

"No, no, definitely not," Newt confirmed. "We have no laws forbidding it, as long as the muggle involved keeps our world secret. When do mean to ask her?" Newt sat up and glanced out of the habitat, seeking the clock mounted on the wall in his main work area.

"I dunno yet. I'm not exactly carrying a ring or nothin'. Not yet."

"Oh," there was a note of disappointment in Newt's response. "I'm afraid that I won't be much help to you in that regard, at least, not until this nonsense is sorted out and I'm able to leave the house."

"'s okay, pal," Jacob smiled. "I haven't got any money here anyways, not with how we left New York."

"We'll have to see about fixing that."

"Yeah, your brother mentioned the Ministry might be able to arrange somethin' in a few days...as some sort of thank you for what I did to Grindelwald. An' I'll have to hire an agent in New York to see about the bakery. Until then-"

"Until then, you're my guest and you need not worry about a thing," Newt interrupted with a broad smile and a wink. "Though, if you happen to need a best man, I know a willing candidate."

xxx

"I won' tell you nothin'!" Abernathy crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

He was in one of the Ministry's interrogation rooms: four white walls, one of which was enchanted to allow those in the next room to watch the proceedings. The door appeared when summoned by one of the Aurors and there was nothing in the room beyond a dark wood table and three chairs, leaving little opportunity for escape and nothing to distract those under examination.

Theseus was seated across the table from Abernathy and at this declaration, he sighed and shared a look with Tina, who was leaning against the wall behind him. Abernathy glared at her and Tina raised an eyebrow, immune to his disdain.

"You understand, Mr Abernathy, that this is most likely a one-way trip you're on?" she said.

He huffed and fixed his eyes on the table.

"After what you've done, it'll be straight to Azkaban for you," she continued. "Unless MACUSA want a piece of you."

"Nah," Theseus shook his head and looked over his shoulder at her. "I spoke with Mr Graves. President Picquery wants him tried with the rest. America will not protect him from European justice."

Abernathy kept his eyes fixed on the table and remained silent, but Tina noticed his cheek dimple as he chewed the inside.

"Oh well, nothing for it then," Tina said, giving her former boss a shrug. The tables had well and truly turned between them and she'd be lying if she didn't admit that she was enjoying this just a little, especially after how he'd treated her following her demotion.

"Mr Abernathy, your case could be helped if you willingly shared information," Theseus stated, leaning forwards. "We know that Grindelwald has someone inside the Ministry. And I'm sure an associate of your position would know who. I'm sure you understand how sharing their name would benefit you."

"I ain't tellin' you nothin'," the man repeated stoically. He looked at Tina and scoffed, "An' the likes o' you don't scare me." He crossed his arms as far as the invisible restraints binding his hands to the table would allow.

Tina was unfussed and blinked at him calmly.

"You know, I heard Grindelwald wasn't too kind to folks who wouldn't give him information. Had my sister do a number on their minds." She paused and went to sit beside Theseus. "You ever see her doin' it, Mr Abernathy? You ever get to watch Queenie tear into someone's brain and dig out what your boss wanted?"

His eyes darted up to meet hers and Tina caught a hint of fear that told her he'd watched it happen – and that it was as terrible as Queenie said.

"I heard it's somethin' to see," she said slowly, idly scratching at a crack in the table. "Heard she can dig up your worst memories and force you to relive them; can pick her way through your biggest mistakes...the things you're most ashamed of...all those little secrets you hide, naked for everyone to see." She punctuated her words with a scrape of her nail along the table and sat back in her chair. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Do you have secrets, Mr Abernathy?"

Again, he scoffed and rolled his eyes, but his tongue darted out to nervously wet his lips. Its forked tip induced a wave of revulsion in Tina and she fought to stop her lip from creeping up in disgust.

"Your sister's soft," Abernathy retorted arrogantly. "She ain't got the stones to hurt me."

"My sister's also angry, Mr Abernathy," Tina said. "She's disappointed. She's had her heart broken and her hopes for a better future dashed by a group of genocidal fanatics. And you, well, you were a problem for Queenie long before Grindelwald. Lingering in doorways watching her, drinking extra coffee so she'd have to fetch it for you, brushing up against her in the office. You were always just polite enough that she couldn't say anything, couldn't prove what you were up to without looking crazy. She put up with your remarks, all those 'accidental' touches for years and said nothin' because she was scared, because she didn't wanna make trouble, my dear, sweetheart of a sister. But if you've realised anything about Queenie, it should be that she protects the people she loves. She fights for them – hell, that's why she joined Grindelwald in the first place – but, most important, she will destroy anyone who hurts them. When we were kids, she set my first fella's robes on fire when she caught him with another girl," she let her eyes wander the room as she recounted the memory and a small smile drifted over her face at her sister's protectiveness. "Put him in the san for a week, the blisters were so bad." Her smile changed into a troubled frown as she continued. "We all knew his mother was dead. But only Queenie knew that she'd died in a fire that nearly killed him and his father too. She couldn't help herself back then; reading thoughts was what she did and when he hurt me, she used what she knew to hurt him back." She shivered and met his eyes. "But we're not at school anymore, and our Queenie's learned a few new tricks since then."

Across the table, Abernathy's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. Not taking her eyes off him, Tina continued.

"Now, Queenie doesn't know what happened between you and me that day in the stacks. But I'd wager she'll rip it from you if we let her into your mind ... and I don't think she'll appreciate it, what you tried to do," she ran her eyes up and down his body and fixed him with a meaningful glare. "Queenie's sensitive, you see. She knew something was wrong when I got home that night, but being the sweetheart that she is, she didn't force it outta me. She thought I was just blue, it being so soon after losing my badge, and she let it slide ... but I dunno if she'd let it go now, after all that's happened. And after what you've done."

Beside her, she sensed Theseus shift. He'd allowed her to take point because she knew her former supervisor and she hoped dearly that he wouldn't ask her to explain the event she was referring to later.

"Of course, if you were to help us out here, Queenie wouldn't have to be involved at all," Tina said.

"And the tribunal would certainly take your assistance into account when deciding your sentence," Theseus added. He watched the man's eyes dart around the room as he considered his options.

"You should also know that Grindelwald was severely wounded in your little assault on my brother's house. Not that you were awake to see it," Theseus scoffed, "but judging from the amount of blood left on the floor, the Ministry is wondering if he even survived the encounter. He's not going to help you this time."

He was embellishing the story a little, but it seemed to be working and Abernathy licked his lips again. The acolyte looked between the two Aurors.

"You're lying," his voice rose slightly at the end and he shifted in his seat.

"Mr Abernathy, if I were going to lie to you, I'd tell you that the bastard is dead," Theseus said flatly. "As it is, Auror Goldstein and I are trying to work with you. Azkaban is a …difficult place. And as we are well aware of the younger Ms Goldstein's capabilities and their effects on a weak mind, we're offering you an opportunity to save yourself from what we all know will be a most unpleasant experience, especially given your apparent history with the Goldsteins."

Abernathy's eyes darted between them and settled on Tina. She could tell he was fuming at being cornered and threatened, but it seemed that his wily nature and slippery habit of attaching himself to the most powerful figure on the playing field to save himself had won yet again. His shoulders slumped slightly and he chewed the inside of his cheek.

She smiled. "So tell us Charles: who's been passing Ministry information to your boss?"

xxx

It was sundown when Queenie returned to the house. As she stepped out of the hearth, having travelled home via floo, she found Newt and Jacob in the kitchen, Newt writing at the table, while the baker stirred a steaming pot on the stove. The room smelled of garlic, oregano and rich tomato sauce, which reminded Queenie of home and induced a sudden twinge of homesickness.

"You're back!" Jacob called happily as she hung up her coat.

"How did it go?" Newt asked, looking up from his work. Queenie noticed him lean slightly to check if anyone else had followed her in and muffled a giggle at his thoughts of her sister.

"They got the mole's name outta him; I didn't have to do a thing. Turns out he's really scared of me after watching what I did for Grindelwald. He's also been keeping a secret about somethin' he did to Teen and really don't want me to find out, 'cause he knows it'll make me mad. Of course, I'm not s'posed to know bout it but Teen didn't know I was already listening in when she talked about it in the interrogation."

"Did Tina ever tell you about it?" Jacob asked, holding an arm out to her. Queenie slid into his embrace and pecked his cheek.

"Not a peep," she said. She scowled and slid into the chair beside Newt.

"He used to be a real creep around the office. Pretended to be the shy nice guy but I heard what he was thinkin' and learned to stay outta his mind real quick." She shivered. "All the girls in the office avoided him. He treated Teenie really bad after she got demoted but I thought he was just playin' power games … never thought he'd try anythin' with her like he did with the rest o' us."

"I can't imagine he would have gotten very far," Newt said, his brow creased with concern.

"I think I remember the night it happened— wasn't long after Teen lost her Auror job. She missed dinner and came home drunk. It ain't like her and I knew somethin' was wrong but I thought she was just sad about work. She didn't wanna talk about it and I left her alone… but now if he's so scared o' me knowing, I think I shoulda asked her."

Queenie's anger grew as her mind raced with possibilities. She'd been distracted earlier at the Ministry but now that she was thinking about it, the suggestion that her former boss's wandering hands may have extended to her sister disgusted and infuriated her.

Her scowl deepened, "I swear, if he did what I'm thinkin'..."

 _I'll kill him_ , Newt thought. It was so unlike the magizoologist that Queenie's head snapped sideways to look at him. His eyes widened in surprise and then, realising the reason for her reaction, his expression softened and he nodded.

"Me too," Queenie whispered.

Behind her, Jacob turned from the stove.

"Tina's a strong lady. I'm sure she handled…whatever it was. If it was real serious, she woulda told you," he said.

Queenie nodded slowly, "I hope you're right, honey."

"Will you ask her about it now that you know?" Newt asked.

"I dunno yet," Queenie shrugged. "I don't wanna upset her any more right now. She's still hurtin' from... before."

"Where is she?" Jacob asked.

"Still at work," Queenie said. "Theseus doesn't want to wait until morning to arrest the mole, in case someone tips her off, so they're heading out tonight to arrest her."

"Her?" Jacob asked.

Queenie nodded. "Yeah, it's one o' the Aurors. She's the one who got the three o' them into London so fast last night."

At Newt's thoughts, she replied, "Oh don't worry honey, they've got backup. Theseus and Teen'll be just fine." She smiled but Newt noticed that it didn't reach her eyes.

Queenie noticed that he'd not bought her feigned optimism and went for a rapid change of topic.

"So, what did you boys do today?"

"Got the zhouwu settled," Newt said.

 _Decided to marry you,_ Jacob thought.

Queenie's mouth dropped open and her head snapped towards the baker. Jacob froze, wooden spoon in hand and then his face scrunched in frustration, "Aah damn, you heard that, didn't you?"

Queenie bit her lip to suppress the smile trying to burst across her face. She nodded cheekily, her eyes alight with excitement. Between them, Newt was frowning and looking from one to the other. Jacob put the spoon down and went to her side.

"I wanted to surprise you," he said, "But now that you know..." He lowered himself to one knee and Queenie gasped when he took her hands. "I love you so much, baby. I wanted nothing more than to marry you before any o' this happened and now that we're here...now that you'll be safe... I ain't got a ring yet, but Queenie, baby, will you marry me?"

"Oh Jacob!" Queenie gushed, her heart exploding with joy. "Of course! Of course I will! I don't need a ring. You're all I want!"

She threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses. Across the table, Newt found himself grinning madly. His thoughts strayed to Tina and he wondered if they'd ever find themselves in a similar situation.

xxx

By 10 pm, Newt was beside himself with worry. He'd done all be could with the beasts for the night. The kitchen was spotless, except for the leftovers waiting to be reheated when Theseus and Tina returned. Queenie and Jacob had retreated downstairs to enjoy some quiet time together under the moon (in the mooncalves' habitat) and wanting to give them space, Newt found himself pacing in front of the hearth in the upstairs sitting room, unable to concentrate on the book revisions he was meant to be working on. By 10:30, it'd begun to rain and he'd sent a late-night owl to Dumbledore to enquire about his progress with the blood pact. By 11 pm, he was considering violating his house arrest. At 11:17, he was pulling on his coat to depart when a crash of thunder announced the activation of the floo network. Moments later, Theseus stumbled from the hearth in a cloud of ash and green light.

"Finally!" Newt rushed forward to grip his brother's arms. The senior Auror was still clad in his long leather jacket. One side of his face was red and scratched and his left arm was bandaged and cradled in a sling.

"Newt! Newt, we found him!" he gasped, gripping his brother's elbow to steady himself.

"Who?" Newt asked as he pulled his brother to the nearest chair.

"Grindelwald," Theseus answered as he dropped into the seat. "Newt, we bloody got him!"

"You what?! Wait, Theseus, where is Tina?"

The fire in the hearth flared green again and the woman in question appeared, leaning heavily on a set of crutches but otherwise unharmed. Newt rushed to her and pulled her to him without a word. She allowed the crutches to fall and snaked her arms around him to return the hug. With a small sniffle, Tina turned her face into his neck and Newt felt the tickle of her eye lashes on his skin as she breathed in the scent of him.

"Tina," Newt breathed. "You're limping."

"Bitch went for my leg again," she groused. "Right before I knocked her through a wall." She added the last part with a soft chuckle.

"Come sit down," Newt helped her towards a loveseat besides Theseus's chair. Once she was settled, he looked between them. "Tell me what happened."

"We went to arrest the rogue Auror who was feeding Grindelwald information."

"Who…?"

"Do you remember Imelda Brightwater, that leggy blonde from Austria?" Theseus asked. "Formerly of the Austrian Magical Law Bureau, until she married Freddy Brightwater from the Department of Magical Regulation last year and got transferred to the Ministry here. She's been working in-house under one of my deputies for more than six months, which is likely how Grindelwald knew so much."

"Was she expecting you?" Newt asked, noting their injuries.

"No, today's interrogation was a closed affair—need-to-know only—and it's just as well. Woman's a damn good dueller and if she'd had any warning, we'd never have found Grindelwald and Rosier hiding in her house."

"And she might've had time to call reinforcements," Tina added.

Theseus nodded in agreement. "She's the one who got the three of them into London to pursue you yesterday. Seems they didn't expect much opposition from you and didn't bring any reinforcements. From what we learned from Abernathy, it seems they were planning to meet the rest of Grindelwald's forces in Austria after a brief detour here—"

"—but thanks to Jacob, he's in such bad shape that he can't travel. So they couldn't leave the country last night like they'd planned," Tina finished.

"So Grindelwald is still alive," Newt said, slightly deflated.

"For now," Tina said, turning in her seat to shrug off her jacket. "Turns out Rosier isn't nearly as good a medic as you are." She reached for Newt and he slid into the loveseat beside her, gently gripping her hand. Unsatisfied, Tina pulled his arm around her shoulders. Her eyes briefly met his in a quick confirmation that he was okay with her invading his space, before she leaned into him and sighed contentedly.

"Grindelwald was bedridden and only half conscious through the whole fight. Didn't even manage to raise his wand. It was almost unbelievable how easily Barker managed to knock him out to take him in to the Ministry."

At Newt's raised eyebrow, Tina added, "It's definitely him. We checked twice. No identity mistakes this time."

"What about Rosier and Brightwater?" Newt asked.

"They put up a good fight," Theseus indicated his arm, "But we're better." He and Tina shared matching conspiratorial smiles.

"She won't be leaving any more messages on mirrors," Tina declared with satisfaction.

"Excellent," Newt looked between them, grinning. "This is wonderful!"

"It's not the end," Theseus said with a sigh. "His organisation of fanatics is still out there and we can no doubt expect retaliation, but, for now, at least until they realise what's happened, I suspect we may actually have some peace."

There was a moment of contented silence before Theseus pushed himself out of the chair. "Anything left to eat around here?" he asked, heading for the kitchen.

"On the stove," Newt called after him.

"Be there in a minute," Tina added.

"It's good to see him eating," Newt said.

Tina hummed in agreement, "I have a feeling he's going to be okay."

Newt lightly placed his hand on her left knee and gestured to her leg. "Is it bad?"

"Not really," Tina said. "Rosier obviously didn't expect me to be fully recovered, so she went for the same area. It needed a bunch of new stitches that'll be unnecessary within a day or so…though I may need you to take a look at it to be sure." She winked up at him and Newt blushed beet red from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. Tina giggled in response. The sound was music to Newt, whose throat clenched with emotion. He pulled her closer to him and put his other arm around her

"I'm glad to have you home safe," Newt said into her hair.

"Mmmmm," Tina responded by tilting her head up for a kiss. It was gentle and all too brief, but held the promise of things to come.

The smell of tomatoes began to drift from the kitchen and Tina's stomach growled in response. They broke apart and Newt helped her up and to the kitchen. As she settled at the table, Jacob and Queenie emerged from the basement and for the next half hour, the kitchen was filled with excitement as Queenie broke the news of their engagement and the sisters gushed over the plans to be made.

A/N If you're still reading this after my long absence, thank you for sticking with it!  
I've written a short epilogue for this story; not yet sure whether to post or not as it still needs refinement. If you have thoughts - good or bad - I'd love to hear them :)


	10. Chapter 10: Home

**Chapter 10: Home**

" _No, please…" her voice was faint and she blinked at her captor through tears. She looked at the knife in her hand and shook her head. The blade was sheathed in the blood that'd already run down its hilt and onto her fingers. They glistened in a sheen of warm red and her eyes slid down to the man at her feet. His eyes were vacant, his skin pallid, though his blood was not yet cold._

 _Horror raced through Queenie at the sight of her beloved lying dead. Blood coated Jacob's neck and his white shirt where it'd run from the knife wound in the front of his throat. Her eyes stung with fresh tears and her throat clenched, muffling a sob of horror._

" _I told you what would happen if you defied me."_

 _She blinked at Grindelwald, who stood on the other side of the small room with his back to the door. His face was smug and he raised and eyebrow at her tears before he continued._

" _And we are not finished, Miss Goldstein."_

 _He stepped to the side and revealed Newt, on his knees with his hands bound behind his back. His face was bloody, his right eyebrow swollen, and his shirt in tatters, splattered with blood and mud. He'd been gagged and at the sight of her, he cried out through the rough cloth. She understood nothing, but his eyes were wide with panic and pain—and they spoke volumes: he was devastated, terrified. He'd told her to stay away and she'd ignored him—had been so determined that she'd put them both in danger. Guilt gripped her heart and she stepped towards him, unable to resist the desperate pull towards him._

" _Silence," Grindelwald whispered, looking down at the man beside him. He pointed his wand at the magizoologist and pierced her with predatory eyes. She froze mid-step._

" _You know what you must do," he repeated to her. "Kill him."_

 _Her heart clenched and she shook her head. "No. I won't…I can't." She looked back at Jacob's body and felt bile rise in her throat. "Not again."_

 _Grindelwald gave an agitated sigh and looked down at Newt. The magizoologist glared back at him, defiant. Grindelwald cocked his head to the side, considering, and then turned back to her._

" _Easy as it would be to do it myself, I have a greater vision for you. You see, Miss Goldstein, you will learn to obey me, as your sister has. You will learn that it is pointless to defy my_ requests _…doing so will bring you nothing but suffering. You, and those you hold dear."_

My sister? Wait, Teen's here? _Queenie thought. But that couldn't be right. She'd fled Grindelwald's acolytes, helped the Ministry! What was going on? She wanted to ask…to demand what was happening, where they were and what he'd done with Tina, but instead, almost of its own accord, her face scowled and she added venom to her voice, "I'll never take orders from you!"_

 _Her eyes scanned the ground, seeking her wand. If she could just find it…Where had it landed?! Queenie's attention caught on her clothes. A white blouse, ruddy with dirt and spattered with blood, black trousers and sensible black boots. Not her clothes at all, but those of her sister. Queenie's mind spun with confusion, but Grindelwald didn't notice and continued._

" _You will. I will break you apart…piece by piece. I will strip you down to the barest heartstrings of your soul and when I am done, you will be begging to do my bidding."_

" _Fat chance," Queenie spat. Only it wasn't her voice she heard, but Tina's._

 _He raised his wand again. "I hear from your sister that you fear losing control." He gave a wicked smile and raised his wand. "Let's see how truthful our dear Queenie was, shall we?_

Wait, _Queenie's mind reeled._ But I'm–

"Imperio! _" Cold, clammy hands slid over her mind, seizing her control. No! Not again! Tina's voice cried in her mind._

 _She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, under the stifling force of his will. Her heart dropped into her stomach, hopeless and terrified, and she felt the clench of her throat as she suppressed the urge to cry._ Grindelwald didn't want her to cry. No, he had something else in mind. _Holding the knife between two fingers, she unbuttoned the sleeves of her blouse and pushed them up over her elbows. Then gripping the knife tightly again, she laid the flat end on her left forearm, in the crease of her elbow. Pressing down slightly, she tilted it to start a shallow incision, then rotated it to run parallel with her arm as she slowly slid the knife towards her wrist. Pain shrieked through her as the skin came away in a thin, clean slice. It couldn't have been more than a centimetre wide, but she felt her stomach roll as blood surged from the bare strip of exposed tissue and ran down the sides of her arm. The pain was excruciating; her entire forearm was on fire, and a cloud of dizziness surrounded her. She blinked to keep from doubling over to vomit._ Grindelwald didn't want her to do that. No, he wanted her to keep going, down, down, down her arm. _And so she did._

 _Queenie's mind screamed to make it stop, to drop the knife, but her hand wouldn't comply. She felt nothing but the raw fire in her arm and her ears began to ring with a high-pitched shrieking. She thought she heard Newt screaming, but the sound was muffled as if he was far away or underwater. When she reached her wrist, the thin strip of skin fell away… but Grindelwald wasn't done. 'No, I'm just getting started,' he whispered gleefully in her mind._

 _Still in control, he used her fingers to rotate the knife and jab it into the soft flesh at the base of her thumb. It wasn't too deep, but it ached, turning into a fiery pain as she moved the knife down each of her fingers, cutting a bloody line along the length of each. The sensitive nerves in her palm and fingertips shrieked in agony… and every part of her being yearned to stop this. Again, she commanded her hands to stop, but Grindelwald was in charge and she was powerless to do anything other than what he wished. Under his will, she transferred the knife to her bleeding hand and went to work on her uninjured arm. The shredded flesh of her left hand stung and ached under the pressure of the knife in her grip and the sensation made her vision swim. Dizziness became a sea of nausea and she rocked on her feet, now certain she was going to vomit._ But Grindelwald didn't want her to _, so she righted her stance and returned her attention to the knife. As it slid into the skin of her other arm, exposing the sensitive tissue underneath, the pain doubled, a twisting, shrieking burning…and suddenly, it wasn't just her arm, wasn't just her bloody hand. Her legs, the skin of her chest and back, all of it was screaming…all of it was raw. Her entire body was on fire, as if her skin was being slowly flayed with a white-hot knife. Then a fresh wallop of pain roared through her and exploded behind her eyes, making her head ache. The room began to spin but even as she blinked to suppress the wash of nausea and bite down on the scream of pain pressing against the back of her throat, she continued to move the knife up her arm._ Because he wanted her to.

 _It was the most excruciating pain Queenie had ever experienced. Her entire body was in agony and she felt hopeless, powerless, impotent. There was nothing she could do but suffer. No way to fight. No way to escape. Nothing but the sensation of her body, raw and burning. She couldn't…she… it was too much… too–_

 _She screamed. It was a strangled, raw thing that wrenched itself from her chest before she realised she'd given up. Satisfied, Grindelwald released the Imperious curse at last. No longer held up by his will, her knees gave way and she welcomed the cold floor on her cheek a moment later. Her head hit the ground and the ache intensified to a thump. Tears streamed from her eyes and she blinked through them, looking for Newt, seeking her anchor, the one person who could surely end this. But he wasn't there. Instead, she saw herself, standing beside Grindelwald. Her blond curls were perfectly coiffed and the gold silk of her favourite dress shimmered in the light of the room. The Queenie before her leaned in to Grindelwald's side and smiled up at him with adoration, oblivious to the suffering of the trembling woman on the floor._

 _Confusion cut through the misery in Queenie's mind._ No! That's not me! This is all wrong!

Queenie's eyes snapped open to the darkness of Newt's bedroom. She was panting and ripples of pain from the dream ran through her as her conscious mind returned. Her hands immediately went to her arms, smooth and warm and strong. Queenie let out a slow breath of relief as the painful phantoms still dancing across her flesh and behind her eyes faded. _A dream. Nothing but a dream._

A whimper from beside her drew her attention and she turned her head to find Tina on her back on the other side of Newt's double bed, flushed and frowning in her sleep. Tears were streaming down her sister's cheeks and she was biting a trembling lower lip so hard that the skin around it was white. Her breathing was short and fast, broken up by choppy whimpers that caught in her throat. Queenie reached out with her mind—and felt the pain of the dream seize her again. She instantly recoiled from Tina's mind.

Tina's dream! She'd been in Tina's dream, watching it all from her sister's eyes.

"Teen, wake up!" Queenie whispered. She pushed herself onto her knees and gently shook her sister. "It's okay Teenie. It's just a dream."

"No…" Tina whined and twisted away from her, still caught in the nightmare.

"Come on Teenie! Wake up!" When Tina tried to push Queenie's hands off her shoulders, the blonde grabbed her sister's wrists, determined to pull her back to consciousness.

"Stop!" Tina's voice rose an octave. She wrenched her arms from Queenie's grasp and wrapped them around herself. Her eyes squeezed shut, her mind still deep within the nightmare. Queenie's heart broke at the sight of her sister so vulnerable and afraid—so unlike the decisive fighter she'd grown up with—and she gripped her upper arms again and squeezed.

"Tina. Wake up!" she cried, louder this time. Fear uncurled itself in her chest.

"No!" Tina shrieked. She threw her arms out and a wave of power burst from her hands. Caught off guard, Queenie was swept off the bed and into the opposite wall. Pain sped through her shoulders and the back of her head at the contact and she hit the floor with a dull thud, too shocked to plant her feet on the way down. Her arms flailed, hit something hard and a moment later, she heard the crash of the wash stand jug hitting the ground beside her head.

Queenie lay crumpled on the ground with her head thumping in pain, too shocked to move and breathing hard as her heart raced. Tina had never hurt her before, would never hurt her, and she fought to suppress the panicky fear that had risen in response to her sister's outburst of wandless magic.

"Queenie?" Tina's voice was frantic and Queenie heard a grunt of pain and bare feet on the wooden floor. A warm hand on her back drew her attention.

"Queenie, I'm so sorry!"

The blonde blinked slowly as Tina helped her sit up.

"Are you okay?" Tina whispered fiercely, pushing her sister's hair back from her face so she could see her eyes clearly. Concern radiated from her and washed over Queenie like warm air from a store entrance in winter.

"Queenie, I'm so so sorry. Are you hurt?" With trembling hands, Tina checked her baby sister for injuries. Although the only casualty she could see was the smashed wash basin, Queenie said nothing, looking at her with mournful eyes, clearly still shaken, her whole body tense.

Tina put hand on her cheek and one on her shoulder.

"Queenie, honey, please talk to me. I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I had a nightmare. I didn't know it was you—"

"Is that what it felt like?" Queenie whispered. Her eyes were filled with tears when she met Tina's confused gaze. "The torture curse. What it felt like in your dream, with the knife…was that what the torture curse felt like…in the garden and yesterday?"

Queenie saw the truth in her sister's eyes for a heartbeat before Tina looked away, furiously suppressing a sudden urge to cry. _How did you know?_ she thought.

"I was in your dream, Teen. Like when we slept close together as kids an' I heard what you dreamed. I was looking outta your eyes. I saw Newt…and Jacob… and me. I felt Grindelwald's curse and the knife…your skin" She paused and took hold of Tina's hand, turning it over so she could trace the uninjured surface of her sister's palm with her finger. "Grindelwald, he–he didn't make you do that—"

"No." Tina said quickly. "The curse doesn't need physical pain. It was all in my head."

"And me… Teen, you don't think I'd ever let you suffer like that, do you?"

"No!" Tina said quickly. "No, of course not! It was just a dream Queenie. I know you wouldn't ever let that happen."

"Good," Queenie breathed. She tugged Tina's arm and drew her sister into a hug. "That ain't ever gonna happen to you again, I promise," she whispered into the soft brown hair against her cheek.

Tina swallowed, her throat tight, and squeezed her baby sister against her. "Can you forgive me?" she whispered.

"Always," Queenie replied without hesitation. "I love you Teenie. We'll get you through this. Me and Jacob and Newt."

A sob of relief in Tina's throat and she found herself unable to speak. Instead, she shifted to kiss the top of Queenie's head and blinked as fresh tears rose in her eyes. Queenie felt her sister's shame and remorse, but they were drops in the ocean of love for her, an ocean that swirled with affection and gratitude for Queenie's forgiving heart and the comfort she offered so freely. She tightened her hold on Tina, sniffing back the start of her own tears for her older sister, her fierce and brilliant protector. Tina began to cry in earnest then, quiet sobs that left her shaking in her sister's arms. They remained that way on the floor for the next few minutes as Tina loosed the pain and fear of the past few days from her heart. When her tears finally slowed and she was able to speak again, she pulled her little sister up and back to bed, where she sat against the headboard with Queenie's head in her lap. She sighed as stroked her sister's golden hair, finally feeling peace settle over her wrung-out heart. Queenie's breathing slowed as she drifted back to sleep and Tina felt as if they were children once more—her and Queenie, her darling, daring, delightful baby sister, who saw good where Tina could not and who would stand by her. Only now that they were adults, they had Newt and Jacob to help them and no matter what the future held, that was all they needed.

"I love you Queenie Bee," Tina whispered. "Thank you for coming home to me."

A/N Thanks for coming along for the ride my lovelies! I've got something else in the pipeline but I think this is it for A Change of Mind for now. This was never meant to go beyond one chapter and it was your encouragement and suggestions that kept it going for this long. Thank you for your positive vibes!

-HG xxx 😊


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